New Future Series: The Pale Cage
by ChristianOtaku
Summary: The Doctor wakes up lost and confused only to discover he's not who he thought. To make things worse he has become an experimental biological weapon. How can he save the Earth when he himself is trapped and caged like an animal? Rated Teen, there is a lot of whump and violence.
1. Chapter 1 The Fire

**Hello there! Long time no update? If this is your first time reading The Pale Cage, welcome! This story takes place...ooh its kind of hard to say. If you've seen up to Angel's Take Manhattan you'll be in good shape. Enjoy!

For those of you who read the original The Pale Cage...There were several things that made me unhappy with my original version, like some of the characters and some of the events and motivation of the characters. So I've changed it and hopefully made it better. The Plot is the same but you will meet new characters and some things will be slightly different. I hope you enjoy the new Pale Cage.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who etc etc. **

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Chapter 1 The Fire

There was a Spark. A small initiation of life. It came without a gasp of breath, and without suddenly being jolted awake. The Spark could not feel. So it thought a question.

_Who am I?_

An impossible question. How could such an answer be found? The Spark had no recollection of anything. The Spark couldn't remember the past. All that lay before the Fire was just a void of darkness. The Fire could not see, hear, feel, touch, smell nor taste. Time was unknown and the Spark felt sad.

_Why am I sad?_

Time was important and it was bad that the Spark didn't know Time. Time was one of the Spark's senses, and it was lost like the others. The Spark struggled to understand why the loss of Time placed the Fire teetering on the edge of a parapet. Time, time was the key without it the Spark would be swallowed by the pit. So the question it thought changed.

_What am I?_

The new question made the Spark grow, and as it grew, the Spark became a Flame, and a bright warmth spread into the darkness. Time was so important. Time was so much a part of the Flame's existence that without it, the Flame knew its life would be meaningless. The Flame tried to think of a creature whom its very existence was woven into the fabric of time itself. Suddenly like a snap, a switch being flipped, the Flame knew.

_I'm a Time Lord._

The Flame was still without its senses and time was still unknown. However emotions were quickly filling the void. Images only seen through the mind's eye flitted around the Flame. It fueled the emotions that burned of Hatred.

_"You gave me hope and then you took it away. That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it will do to me."_

Hatred gave away to despair.

_"I guess you don't know me very well. I refuse."_

Despair dripped and dried in the rising of the dual stars, and the Flame felt happiness.

_"I'm going to travel with that man forever!"_

A thousand other emotions swirled around the Flame. Some of them hurt and guilt weighed heavily over the Flame, and threatened to snuff it out. However, love was ever present and it chased away the memories of a burning planet. The Flame finally had enough and decided to return to its original question.

_Who Am I?__  
_  
Memories answered back in response. A thousand voices, a chorus of people and faces flashed before the Flame. They all said a single word. Some of them screamed, some cried, some whispered, some smiled, some shouted, and some sang. The first face was of a young girl with short brown hair. Her youthful face morphed from child to adult.

She cried, "Grandfather!"

And instantly the Flame saw a memory that transformed the voices into waves crashing upon rocks.

She stood before him, a teenage scowl upon her face, "But Grandfather, TT Capsule is so dull and drab. Time Lords are the greatest species to have ever evolved, couldn't they have been more..."

"More what, Susan?" an old man asked her.

"Oh Grandfather, more creative!"

"Hrrumph," the old man, Grandfather, replied, "Maybe they are more creative than you think. What would you have it be called?"

"Hmmm," the girl, Susan, thought, "TT Capsule means Time Travel. So the moving within any place in time. TT Capsules are very cool for their 'bigger on the insides'..." she hesitated to look at her grandfather who eyed her for her childish ramblings, "I mean it's dimensionally transcendental. Oh! I know!" she beamed as she looked up to the TT Capsule's time rotor, "A TARDIS. That's brilliant! Don't you think so Grandfather?"

"TARDIS? What's a TARDIS?"

She looked back to her grumpy grandfather and smiled, "It stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Much more exciting than a TT Capsule."

"I suppose you'll need to reevaluate your statement of Time Lords being uncreative."

"No, I still think they could work on it a bit; but Time Ladies are pretty cool."

"TARDIS is never going to catch on," her grandfather told her in response to her cheekiness.

The Flame pulled away from the memory. The acronym pulsed within it and the sea a voices came in and out of focus. The Flame burned as it tried to listen to each one. The voices were many and the Flame could only focus on so few at a time. However, each voice added a kindling to the Flame until the Flame was a roaring Fire. They all said the same word.

"Doctor!" a Scottish accented voice matched to a black haired boy.

"Doctor!" a third voice belonging to a blonde haired girl, her face twisted and morphed between the form of a young lady and an old woman with short hair.

"Doctor!" the fourth girl held a secret smirk, she wore a pink dress and a long white scarf, though her face wasn't clear, it kept rearranging, shifting from three different faces and the Fire couldn't remember which one was true. The Fire thought, maybe all three faces were of the same soul, but the Fire could not remember who. She cried fiercely and so full of anger that the Fire shied away.

"Doctor!" the Fifth voice shouted out angrily. She had other things to say, but it was lost to the sea of voices. The Fire couldn't see her face, just her mouth opening and closing.

_Just a mouth on legs_ thought the Fire.

"Doctor!" the sixth voice screamed, the sound of agony ripping from her throat. The Fire turned to see another girl, her hair was a short brown bob and she had a head band. Her face changed consistently between a beautiful girl with a big smile and a girl with a stern expression, all of her brown hair gone, leaving her head bald. The girl made the Fire cry with her.

"Doctor!" the seventh voice called out. She was fierce and brave and holding a gun. It seemed wrong, because the Fire hated guns.

"Doctor." the Eighth voice whispered, American accented, belonging to a woman who just stared at the Flame, trying to fathom its existence. The Fire smiled, the Fire was trying to 'fathom its' existence as well.

"Doctor," something breathed.

"Don't call me that," the Fire whispered to itself. The voice disappeared behind a door labeled TIME WAR. The Fire didn't dare follow it in there. The Fire didn't want to remember why, but the door was cracked and memories reached for the Fire.

"Doctor!" a girl shouted, instantly pulling the Fire away from the door and memories of what HE DID. The Fire turned his attention to a girl with blond hair and big brown eyes. She looked up to the Fire. Her brown eyes turned to gold as if she was the Fire. Her hand was outstretched and there are tears streaking down her cheeks.

"Doctor!" a ginger haired woman wept. Her head shook and she begged the Fire not to take it away.

"Doctor!" the final voice shouted. A smile tugging at the corner of her lips and her green eyes watched him. Her hair was like Fire and her face morphed from a young lady the the form of a small child. Her outstretched hand reached for the Fire, and she waited for him.

Nothing now could stop the memories that followed. The Fire suddenly remembered and answered his own questions.

_I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I__'__m from the planet Gallifrey__in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm the last of my kind.__  
_  
The door opened, but the Doctor didn't want to go through it, he didn't want to leave the sanctuary of his home, of his Tardis. But Amy was suddenly next to him.

"Doctor, I'm waiting for you, out there. Please don't leave me alone."

"I'll find you." The Doctor told her and he watched her smile. He stepped out of the Tardis and his eyes opened.

His eyes opened to a glass cage and he struggled for a deep gasp of air. There it was, the sudden jolt into reality and he painfully coughed and his lungs wheezed, as if they had never been used before. He awoke in a semi-panic, knowing who he was but not where he was or what was happening. His limbs refused to obey him, they were numb and limp. He shuddered when he saw why. His body was wrong, twisted and warped and it laid like liquid rubber in a bath. His breath blew harshly over his teeth and his hearts stuttered when he looked into the glass. He couldn't see beyond it. He could only see his reflection. The reflection that jerked back in response of his own appearance.

The Doctor's reflection was not what he was expecting and it gave him chills. The face that looked back was as pale and as white as milk. The mop of dark brown hair was slick and wet with sweat. His long chin quivered as he coughed and sputtered. His two embryonic hearts thumped wildly, trying to reach an acceptable rhythm. The Doctor painfully recognized the face in the glass. It was his own face and he knew the truth.

'What happened?' he wondered. Tears threatened to spill over. At least he was alive. He knew he was alive as he gasped for air once more. And he knew who he was, what he was. And he knew where he was as soon as he managed to look beyond the looking glass of his pale cage. Peering eyes watched his every move, watched his rebirth. They crowded around, with hungry eyes, excited eyes, evil eyes. He shuddered as he knew what it meant.

With a deep breath he relaxed into the milky bath. He chose to ignore the strangers peering in beyond his reflection of the pale cage. He focused on his body and willed his limbs to move. He closed his eyes and focused. Slowly sensation reached his fingertips, it raced down his chest and then to his legs and his toes twitched. He sat up. Muscle, tissue, cartilage and bone formed and grew, organs, nerves and veins fitted into place. The milky water drained from his bath. He was right, the other one. He gritted his teeth at the truth, his molecular structure managed to survive the pulsation of the sonic screwdriver.

He closed his eyes as his tears mixed with sweat, no one knew the difference. He was not the Doctor. The Flesh Time Lord opened his eyes as he remembered his last memory. He looked at his hand, it had held the Sonic that dissolved him, Miranda and Jennifer, just Gangers back into gunge. He forced a growl through his unused vocal chords. He was not the Doctor, he was the other Doctor, the one made from programmable Flesh, the copy. Not the Doctor. The despair changed quickly to anger and he glared up at the faces looking at him.

They were scientists, that much was clear. With their lab coats and their laboratory and the cage they'd imprisoned him in. They did this to him. They turned him into an experiment. They resurrected him without any thought of what it would mean, what it would do to him. What it would do to the universe. They'd recreated the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness and he would make them pay. He would destroy them, make them burn. He would listen to their screams and watched the life leave their bodies. He would make them suffer, for existence as a copy as the last of your kind was hell, he would make them all pay, there would be nothing left and it would be remembered for all time of the Victorious who ended it all.

'Doctor, I'm waiting.'

No one spoke, the voice came from within the Flesh Doctor's own mind and memories that all belonged to another man. But it was enough to stop the Oncoming Storm, enough to bring him back and to make him reconsider his name and his mission.

Amy was waiting for him and he remembered the last thing she said to him. To Him, not the Doctor, but to him, the Flesh Doctor, back in St. John's Monastery all those years ago, yesterday, that last memory.

"You're twice the man I thought you were."

The Flesh Doctor shuddered. Amy knew he was the copy, but he had proven to her that he was the same as the Doctor. They had agreed the same thing, when they had swapped shoes, they proved they were the same. Both Doctors, original and copy had seen that they were the same, when prejudiced Amy couldn't tell them apart. And she hugged him telling the Flesh Doctor that he was twice as amazing as she had thought.

It all came back down to Amy. She proved that he was the Doctor too. Just as good as the Doctor. So why should he suddenly become less than what Amy had thought. The Flesh Doctor knew he wasn't anything like the Meta-crisis Doctor. That creature was half human and his morals were still shaky from the Time War and had no problems with committing genocide. That was not who the Flesh Doctor was. He was the Doctor and he couldn't stop being the Doctor, just because he was now made of Flesh.

"Why do you have to be so human?"

"Because right now I'm not."

The Flesh Doctor looked up, holding his head high. This situation he found himself in wasn't so different from Rory the Roman. A Nestene Duplicate with all the memories and feelings of Rory Williams and Rory, even when he went back to being human, he still had all those memories. The Flesh Doctor decided then and there he would not allow himself to become anything less than the Doctor. He would not become anything less than what Amy had said about him and that was a high expectation to reach. The Flesh Doctor would not become the Victorious. He would be the Doctor...He wiggled his fingers and stretched them. The Flesh held all of the Doctor's 909 years of memory, but not just memory, experience as well. He stared at his milky half-formed fleshy hand, as soon as he stabilized he really would be the Doctor.

He wanted to be just as good as the Doctor, he wanted to live up to what Amy said to him. But there were enough time anomalies and timey-wimey problems occurring with the Doctor and his past selves running into each other. And for him to be thrown into the mix, he'd probably get a crummy name like 'The other Doctor' or 'Ganger Doctor' or 'the Flesh Doctor' as he was already identifying himself as. What kind of name was that?

When the Doctor pretended to be the Flesh he took on the name John Smith. That name followed him like a bad penny. The first name he always thought of and always gave when asked and he didn't want to reveal his himself. The Flesh Doctor shook his head, he didn't want to be John Smith. He wanted to be the Doctor, but not the Doctor, greater than the Doctor, but his own self. He remembered when they had swapped identities and for a good few short hours...he was the Doctor. He was trusted as the Doctor and he was her Doctor, Amy's Doctor.

Amy would be with the Doctor now. He had no right to suddenly return to her and expect her to make room in her heart for a copy. The Flesh sighed. The Doctor had his blue box, the Flesh had his face and memories.

The Flesh looked out at the scientists watching him, monitoring his every move. He willed that his psychic abilities would kick in. But even without scanning their minds he knew two things for sure. 1. They were human, and 2. They were not friendly. The Flesh sighed heavily, he was their experiment, they probably had some serial number for him. He really needed to find a name for himself.

The Flesh cleared his throat so that he could test his vocal cords.

"Heh," it sounded low and rusted, he tried again, "Hel- Hell-"

His volume rose, a couple of humans out of the crowd looked nervous. He stared back at them. A flash of silver caught his attention, a young woman with long brown hair that was braided and put into a bun. She wore thin glasses and had silver eyes. Their was another with those same eyes, a man, he had short brown hair but his features matched the girl's. The Flesh looked between the two and realized they must be siblings, or twins or perhaps, clones? The Flesh took another deep breath and tried to speak once more, "Hel-lo," he rasped out.

He smiled, proud of himself. He leaned back and rested, exhaustion swept through his flesh. He really needed to find a proper name. He quite liked the Doctor's identity...But he didn't want to be confused as the same Doctor. The Doctor could be anywhere and he didn't want his actions to get confused with theDoctor's actions. Things could get potentially very, very confusing. He wanted his own name. He wanted to be separate from the Doctor. The first name that came to his mind was Fletcher, it stuck to his tongue like a bad taste. It was much too close to the word 'flesh' and he wrinkled his nose. He thought about Amy.

He thought about stealing her name, Emil, Amery, Emelerich, Emerson, Emrys, Emory, Imrich. All relations to the name Amelia. He smirked. Thieving her name wasn't the answer. He didn't want to steal her name. He wanted to be himself. Certainty though, that girl, he could take on her heritage perhaps? He was flesh, a copy and someday he would stabilize and become a Time Lord once more. He thought like the Doctor, acted like the Doctor, he was the Doctor, but Doctor did not define him, it was Amelia. Flesh Amelia. He remembered, the real reason why the Doctor severed his ties with Amelia, took on the identity of Flesh, traded titles. He went for the Roman instead. He did this because those other people did not matter to him. The flesh and the humans, they didn't matter to Doctor. He knew Amy was Flesh before they had even arrived to the factory. So he left flesh with flesh to save the human, Rory. Because he was on a mission to save the real Amelia, where ever she had been taken. He really hoped the Doctor had sorted that out.

The Amy he knew, even though she was flesh, her heart and her soul...they were in his hands and he hoped, the Flesh hoped, he had done the right thing...because he knew the Doctor had.

He shook his head. No, the Flesh would not take Amy's name. He was new like a new regeneration, and he would have his own life and he would choose how to live it, but surely that girl did leave a mark on him and he would not forget her. He would be twice the man she knew him to be. He would be good, like the Doctor always tried to be. He would never forget Amelia Pond. The first few hours of his life, when he was separated from the Doctor's memories, when he became different to the Doctor and his own memories were created, they were spent with Amelia. The Doctor severed his trust with Amelia and put it in a copy's hands. It was something special and something he would never ever forget. Something Atheyr would never forget.

Atheyr, short for Atheyronaeyis. It was long and complicated. It was Gallifreyan. Atheyronaeyis, **Uh-thayr-roh-nay-yay-ees**, it meant in his language _'the Good Fire'_. Fire like regeneration and rebirth...Fire like Amy's hair. And Atheyronaeyis would be good, better than the Doctor. Twice as good, twice as fiery. Atheyronaeyis would hide his name, like all the other Time Lords of Gallifrey. He would shorten it and be called Atheyr, the Fire.

An applause and cheers jolted Atheyr and reminded him that he was still trapped. He carefully sat up and took a look at his audience, their eyes never left his naked body. Atheyr looked down to see pink skin trying to over power the white flesh. The other Gangers became more stable when they focused on becoming their own beings. Atheyr remembered trying to assimilate all the Doctor's past regenerations, it was painful and terribly difficult for him to stabilize. He hoped he wouldn't have to go through that again... He looked at the scientists who were looking at screens and analyzing his condition. However, that pain might be a walk in the park compared to what was to come.

Atheyr sat back up and worked himself to a scrunched position on his feet. He put his hands on the glass. The cheers settled down and a few more nervous glances were cast by the man nearest to Atheyr's cage. Atheyr's eyes connected with the silver eyed woman and he focused on her. She stepped forward so she could hear him.

He glared at her and opened his mouth, but his lips did not want to form the words right, his tongue rebelled against the English language. He worked hard to control his own body.

"L-et m-e ou-t!"

He coughed and cleared his throat once more, the flesh took on not only memories but experience too. He was eager for his Flesh to remember that it knew how to work his vocal chords.

"N-ow!" He ordered.

He worked his chin, his jaw already sore from the use. He massaged it, hoping to loosen it up. He needed his words, his words got him...and the Doctor out of the most unlucky situations. An older man with graying hair moved and Atheyr's eyes shifted to watch him.

The older man answered him, "No. Not yet. We've lowered the temperature and gravity field in your cubical with pure oxygen. If you leave there you'll return to the liquid flesh."

Atheyr frowned, he knew it wouldn't be that easy. He looked down to his slick milky white hand. He tried to stabilize, but his skin just simply refused. When he looked back up to the scientists as a thought sparked to life.

"What ab-out...Clea-ves? Who-else sur-viv-ed?"

"Who?" The silver eyed man asked.

Atheyr turned his head towards him, "Clea-ves, Mir-an-da Clea-ves."

The silver eyed man looked over to the older man, but he shook his head. He turned back to Atheyr, "No, we found no remnants of hers. It has been 200 years since the melt down at that factory. Four years ago we found a clump of nerves trying to reform, we found Time Lord DNA there and we've been cultivating it..."

"You mea-n me, you-ve bee-n...cul-ti-vat-ing me," Atheyr stated.

The man nodded, "We've woken you ten times before, but each time we've let you outside of the cubical you returned to liquid."

Atheyr's brows knitted together, "So- this is...the e-le-venth a-ttempt. Well is-n't that...just dan-dy?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Outside was too hot. Always too hot. The heat wormed its way into his body, into his mind and he wilted. He looked down in horror as his bare feet on hard ground were melting. There was no blood no veins, no bones, just a puddle of liquid forming beneath him, around him. Over taking him. His newborn lungs gulped in great bellows of air, but his screams died as he melted. Hands pulled him away. He felt his Flesh separate, leave droplets on the ground, on the gloves of the scientists...why couldn't he stabilize? He was Time Lord from Gallifrey. His name was Atheyr. He had two hearts. He was from the future. All of time and space was his playground. He ran away when he saw the untempered schism. He marked the passing of the Time Lords. His best friend was Amelia Pond and there were so many others who faded from his lives. His other self continued to soldier on the heavy title of the Doctor. He could remember everything and Atheyr had declared whom he was, the Doctor but not the Doctor...Why couldn't he stabilize?

The scientists managed his melting form back into the cubical. The cold cubical that kept him somewhat stable, in his own universe. He wished for the Tardis now. Its energy field could stabilize him instantly and permanently. A nice dose of Artron energy would be just nice. Atheyr watched in horror as he saw the scientists scoop up bits of him left on the floor.

"Well least he didn't entirely revert back." Said RoaneG, as Atheyr took to calling her. She was the silver eyed woman and the silver eyed man was her twin. Atheyr also discovered they were the grandchildren of the older gray haired man who seemed to be in charge of everything. They shared the last name Roane. Which left Atheyr with three Dr. Roanes in the same room. It got very confusing, very quickly. So Atheyr decided to rename them. The silver eyed woman Roane became RoaneG for Roane Girl and her brother was RoaneB for Roane Boy...And their grandfather became Roane, or Dr. Roane if Atheyr was feeling polite.

Atheyr had all sort of nicknames bubbling up for Dr. Roane. From Dr Mcevil Pants to Evil Boss Man; but Atheyr resisted such names, he didn't want to escalate his situation. Fear made him cautious. Atheyr was not in a good position, he was vulnerable. He needed to make allies if he wanted to escape. He also needed to stabilize.

He laid in the cubical, puddles of liquid Flesh squelched around him. He closed his eyes, trying to focus all of his energy on staying in one piece. He jumped and whimpered at the pain that shot through him when RoaneG spoke to him, disrupting his concentration.

"You okay in there?" she asked.

He opened his eyes. RaoneG's hand was on the glass and genuine concern painted her face. Atheyr struggled to bring his arms up, he only managed his right arm to give a weak thumbs up. He felt sick as he let his arm slip back into the liquid Flesh. He hoped his form reshaped, because at the moment he was just too tired to keep his eyelids open.

As time slowly slugged on, Atheyr's body slowly came back together. Slowly, he was reborn. Even though his eyes were closed his senses were there, laid waiting. He could hear every voice and hushed whisper. And the mutterings of calculations and miscalculations by the five top scientists of Project Chengyin XI. That was him. Chengyin meant Genesis in Chinese. Atheyr was tired of that word, Genesis. Always meant trouble and a mess he'd...or the Doctor would have to clean up.

The five top scientists consisted of Dr. Claude, Dr. Franklin, Dr. RoaneG, Dr. RoaneB and Dr. Roane. Atheyr had very little interaction with Claude, apart from the seldom glances he sometimes gave. Atheyr didn't like his eyes, he could read him too easily. Claude, however clever he was with numbers, enjoyed watching others suffer.

RoaneG was the first contestant for Atheyr's number one ally position. She really was excited about Atheyr. She was eager to get to know him, not just in the bad evil scientist way, but as a person. Her silver eyes glittered with thoughts of time and space. She was clever too. From what Atheyr recollected about his rebirth, each attempt failed until she made it onto the team. Without RoaneG, Atheyr would just be a clump of cells.

Her brother RoaneB's skills seemed to sprout up in the paper work. He liked to do the research, sit in the back seat and advise from there. Atheyr really hoped that RoaneG was buy 1 get one free sort of deal. Maybe if he could get RoaneG to help him, RoaneB would follow, they were siblings after all.

Dr. Franklin's confidence was extremely low. He never looked at anyone in the eyes, he was constantly nervous. He was a medical doctor and a surgeon and Atheyr could tell he had spent many long years fixing people. Franklin didn't want to be a threat and he wanted to help Atheyr stabilize, not just for the project; but to ease Atheyr's suffering. However, Atheyr knew Dr. Franklin would not be a good ally, he was a coward and would do anything to save his own skin. Atheyr was sure.

And as for Dr. Roane, the true villain of the Katharisei Facility, Atheyr had yet to make the Doctor's mandatory 'One chance' statement. He needed to stabilize before he could take on the dragon.

Atheyr opened his eyes when he detected gentle footsteps nearing his cubical. RoaneG came right up to the glass. Atheyr sat up with a grunt and watched her.

"You know what you need to do to stabilize, don't you?" she asked him. Atheyr's masked expression gave nothing away, "What is it? Tell me so we can help you become a person."

Atheyr opened his mouth and fought to get his vocal cords under control. His voice was still quiet and shaky, but he was getting better at forming words, "Artron...Energy," he told her simply, he winced as his throat stung. His body was too weak and frail to do anything useful. He really needed to get his vocals in order.

"Artron Energy?"

"A-" speaking was so difficult. He closed his eyes and focused on the words he wanted to say. He tried to speak clearly, but his words nearly went unheard, "A surge of...Artron energy...into the...flesh-should...help...me to...sta-bilize...per-manently."

He didn't want to be rude but he had to lay back down as the world inside and outside of his glass cage danced and warbled around him. He hated this, why couldn't he just be a Time Lord already?

He heard RoaneG turn to her grandfather and relay the message back. Without the energy Atheyr would be forced to live out his numbered days in a box, not a blue box or a nice box, a stupid glass box that left him exposed. At this point, he could barely even keep the shape of his feet; if he didn't get Artron Energy soon, well...his brain could melt and he'd have to start all over again or stay dead.

"So, where do we find Artron Energy?" RoaneG asked when she returned to him.

He couldn't even bring himself to sit back up, "There is al-ways resi-dual Artron...Energy...hanging a-bout somewhere. We just need...to pinpoint... a location,...date and time."

"What date and time?"

Atheyr opened his eyes to glare at her, "Our present...location-?"

"Katharisei Facility is located on Ragged Island."

Atheyr pulled his eyebrows together, or where his eyebrows should have been, they were the first things to drop off when he left the pale cage.

"Where's...that?"

"Along the Isles of Scilly."

"Isles of...Scilly?" His eyes widened as he realized what she was saying and his infant hearts began to speed and strengthen and he sat up, forgetting the initial pain as he realized. He ignored RoaneG's gasp of surprise at his sudden animation. "St. John's Monastery...Where the Factory...Melted down...?"

"Katharisei is built over the ruins," she confirmed.

They were still on the island, where he was born, died and reborn. Pink flushed over Atheyr's milky skin- solidifying with his fierce emotions.

"You're kidding me."

The other scientists looked up at his quickly stabilizing voice. Franklin pointed to the monitor Atheyr couldn't see, or cared to see at that moment. RoaneG shook her head at his statement.

"You're bloody kidding me. You all are stupid, ridiculous little apes. You don't know anything do you?" Atheyr didn't notice the fluidity of his insults, his mind flashed with so many thoughts and ideas. "You know nothing. Were you just looking for the damn acid? Wanted to start the acid pumps once more? Then you stumbled across the flesh, my flesh!" his disbelief, anger and excitement brought strength to his voice and his volume rose.

"For the record, we were looking for the flesh...And out of all the original flesh residual we found; yours was the only structure that was trying to come back." RoaneG told him as she stepped back from his wrath.

"So George the curious IDIOTS pick it apart and find the Triple Helix..." he sounded angry, he knew he sounded angry, but the possibilities, they were still on the island! "Oooh Time Lords! Lets try to clone it and see what kind of profit we can make off it, without knowing a single thing!"

RoaneG stepped back, just as her brother came to her side.

"You're stupid, all of you. You set up everything just barely out of range!" Atheyr's voice drifted back into calm, a faked calm, but it had the scientist unnerved.

"I'll have you know that we were looking for your remains, once we had realized that Cleaves had run into the Doct-" RoaneB defended.

Atheyr ignored him and his eyes turned to RoaneG and a hint of a smirk tugged on the corner of his lips as she picked up on what he had said.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Out of range of what?"

Atheyr looked between the pair and the rest of the scrambling scientists and smiled, "The range of where my box had landed, 200 years ago. You find that exact place and it'll be enough to stabilize me outside of this cubicle."

RoaneB worked with Atheyr and pulled out the ancient blueprints of the monastery. Together they worked to pinpoint the exact place where the Tardis had once stood. RoaneB wondered how finding where the Tardis had once been had anything to do with Artron Energy.

Atheyr rolled his eyes, "You really don't know anything."

"Artron Energy is necessary for Tardises and Time Lords alike. Time Lords need the energy for Regeneration, Tardises need it as an energy source. Chengyin XI is nothing but flesh without it," Dr. Roane explained. The other scientists stopped to listen to him and Atheyr stared at Dr. Roane.

"How...?" he started but stopped when Dr. Roane smiled.

"You don't want to know," he said cruelly.

"Wouldn't have dissipated by now? I mean 200 hundred years plus acid..." RoaneB asked, missing the the shared looks between test subject and head Scientist.

"Idiots the lot of you." Atheyr rambled on, taking his glance away from Dr. Roane to RoaneB. "Thought' about bringing back a Time Lord with out bloody knowing a thing about us. So I get stupid and evil."

"We're not stupid-" denied RoaneB the same time RoaneG answered, "We're not evil."

"Right," responded Atheyr quietly, he hadn't meant to say that last line out loud anyway.

Within a few more minutes of RoaneB holding up maps. Atheyr found the place and smacked the glass, startling RoaneB.

"You lot really are thick."

"What?"

"Where did you find my clump of cells?" Atheyr watched him carefully as RoaneB showed him on the map, "You know my Tardis stood only a few meters from there...after falling through the ceiling."

RoaneB's head snapped up to meet Atheyr's gaze.

"Y'know if you had left me there within range I would probably have reformed on my own."

After that the scientists set out to make his cage mobile. Atheyr laughed to himself, realizing how everything they did only prolonged his rebirth. It was rather ironic, they tried to bring him back, but if they had kept him in the same room it might have been a lot easier. Something that was not so easy, however, was the movement and shaking of his cube. It made him nauseous and he had to lean back with his eyes closed to stop himself from being sick. He pressed his hands against the wall of his cage to try and steady himself. At one point he called out in shock when he felt the gravity change, they must have taken an elevator. Despite the headache beginning to form behind his eyes he could sense it. The Artron Energy. When his cage came to a halt he forced himself back up. They were in a dank room with a high ceiling.

"Five years ago we excavated this room." RoaneG explained. Atheyr jumped at her voice, all but forgetting that he was not alone. Franklin and Claude went about reconnecting wires and monitors, they were easy to ignore.

"Is there anything we need to do, or do we just open the doors and push him out?" Claude asked RoaneG.

RoaneG looked to Atheyr and suddenly he was nervous, "Just open the doors." Atheyr acknowledged.

RoaneG nodded to Franklin while he fiddled with the controls that released one of the walls of his cage. Atheyr stiffened at the sudden change in gravity and atmosphere. But he could feel it the Artron Energy swirling around the room. Atheyr tentatively made his way out of the cage and slid his bare feet to the floor.

As he absorbed the Artron Energy he could feel the change as it began to work on him. He turned to look at the pale cage and he saw his reflection changing. His eyes immediately shifted from the ice white to forest green. His skin flushed and his milky disposition seeped into pink skin. He took a deep breath in fully grown Time Lord lungs. He felt his hearts beat in place and in rhythm. Even his telepathic links opened and flexed in perfect working order.

"It worked!" RoaneB said with obvious excitement. The other scientists cheered. "He's stabilized."

"No." Atheyr disagreed, causing the excitement to dull down. "This is temporary only. The ONLY reason my Flesh survived for two hundred years was due to the proximity of where my blue box had once sat and its Artron residual energy. It kept me going for 200 years. But that was just a clump of cells. My physiology isn't quite up to par yet. I've managed to absorb some of it, but too much of the residue energy will probably make me ill. Also it's rather thin it'll last me maybe a week. Urg a week stuck in this room. But as it runs out I'll weaken, I'm not properly a Time Lord yet, I can still revert back to Flesh. What I need is a stable Artron Energy field or possibly easier a concentrated injection of Artron energy. Which reminds me. I don't suppose you found a little metal wand thing underneath all of this gunk. It'll look coppery and silver with green at the end...?"

"Um-" RoaneG started.

"I don't think so." RoaneB answered.

"Actually, we did find such a device..." Franklin spoke up.

"Oh good...bring me that and some maps and-" Atheyr shivered suddenly in the cold and looked down and blushed, "Also some clothes would do nicely as well."


	3. Chapter 3 Nicknames

So I wanted to do some more editing, but I thought 'what the hell' and decided to go ahead and post the rest of the chapters.

* * *

Chapter 3

After one look at a map Atheyr knew the perfect place to find some nice Artron energy floating about. So while he waited for whatever was next to come he was given some clothes. He jumped up excitedly when Franklin returned to him his sonic screwdriver. Atheyr grabbed the middle aged man in a bear hug all the while thanking him. The man pushed away before Atheyr could kiss him. Atheyr stared after him. Franklin's expression clearly did not match the overall atmosphere of 'evil' scientist. Franklin diverted his eyes to the floor and backed away. Atheyr sighed. There was little he could do about that now. His attention went back to the screwdriver and was pleased to see that it was still in working order. He made sure to take it off of its high setting. He really didn't want to be accidentally dissolved. He stared at RoaneG in complete surprise when she brought him a cuppa with Jammie Dodgers.

"If you're trying to bribe me into something, it's not going to work," he told her, but then he lowered his voice, "Unless it's to get out of here."

"You won't be able to escape this facility," she told him.

"As much as I love Jammie Dodgers and tea...It is not going to convince me to stay here."

"It isn't meant to convince you of everything. Its to help you relax."

"Ah a distraction! To distract me from finding a way to escape!"

"If you'd like, or it can be what it is; a way for you to relax and pass the time," RoaneG turned away and left the room.

Atheyr sighed and looked at the tea. He sniffed it. It smelled like regular British-licious tea. It had plenty of sugar and milk and his stomach growled in response. When was the last time he ate? He shivered as he realized that he had never eaten anything. Of course his body was a copy of the Doctor's and he knew what things tasted like, he had the memory and the experience. Atheyr had only been alive for about a day and in that day he had not eaten a thing.

Atheyr sniffed the tea once more, but he couldn't scent anything that shouldn't be in a cup of tea. So he took a sip.

"How strange," he muttered to himself. He was ignored, but he was lost in thought so it hardly mattered, "to think, Jammie Dodgers and tea to be my first meal."

Atheyr stewed in the symbolism as he took another sip. He sat in a swivel chair and rotated it from side to side as the room disappeared around him. He missed the Doctor, his progenitor. Atheyr still felt the heartache the Doctor felt at the loss of Gallifrey. All the chatting away inside their minds, gone in the blink of an eye. Atheyr knew the Doctor felt the same as he did when they connected. The Doctor was no longer alone in the universe with his clone, and no longer lost in the silence. Atheyr missed the telepathic ramblings that they shared. Atheyr knew that if the Doctor had known he'd survive, the Doctor would help him now.

Atheyr froze with his cup half way to his lips as the thought crossed his mind. It would be so EASY to leave a message for the Doctor. Atheyr looked at the sonic, he could do it now. One psychic message, amplified by the sonic straight to the psychic paper, or to the Tardis. Atheyr could easily high-jack a lap top from anyone of the scientists. He could do it with the a push of a button on the sonic.

Atheyr ran his fingers over the now ancient screwdriver. He could get the Doctor here within a half a minute. However, if this group of scientists were to get a hold of the Doctor...it would be very dangerous. After all they had spent so much time and effort into his resurrection. What would they do with the actual real Doctor and his Tardis? What could they not do? Sure maybe the Doctor could come up with a clever plan to get himself and Atheyr out of it, but what if Amy and Rory were with him? They too would be caught up in this mess. Atheyr would rather be tortured than to lead Amy and Rory into a trap.

Atheyr sighed, he could not risk them, even to save an anomaly such as himself. Atheyr would not risk them. Instead he decided that he would clean up this facility mess. He would stabilize and he would escape and change as many minds as possible. If he had to he would destroy them. He also thought about how he would arrange a rescue mission. He had the worst feeling that he wasn't the only test subject nearby.

"Did you know someone called Amelia Williams?" the voice startled Atheyr and he turned to see that RoaneG had reappeared. She held a book in her hands.

"I'm sorry, what?" he asked before completing the journey of the cup to his lips and sipping. He was sure he hadn't heard correctly, Amelia Williams? Amelia Pond Williams...? He hoped she was safe and happy and far away from these people.

"The name, Amelia Williams, ever heard of it before?"

Atheyr tried to compose himself, but the mention of his dearest friend, "Where did you hear that name?"

"So you knew her?"

Atheyr ignored the past tense RoaneG used, "Where. Did. You. Hear. That. Name? Tell me!"

RoaneG didn't seem terribly concerned about his response, in fact it confirmed her suspicions, "She's the author of this book, entitled Summer Falls published in 1954, New York."

Atheyr relaxed slightly. It was a coincidence, it HAD to be, "Must be a different Amelia Williams."

"Oh. Well in the prologue she mentions a Melody Malone-"

"Don't know a Melody Malone-"

"Okay, uh, she mentions her husband; Rory Williams."

Atheyr's hearts stuttered and his brain went into overdrive as he began to panic. Never ignore a coincidence, the universe is rarely ever so lazy. He wanted it to be a coincidence, he needed it to be. Goosebumps popped up on his arms and he shivered at the thought of what it must mean. Atheyr took in a deep breath to calm his hearts and to stop the blind panic. There had to be a reason for this and maybe RoaneG got the date mixed up.

"So you knew them?" RoaneG prompted.

"They are my friends. But I'm sure you got the date wrong," Atheyr searched RoaneG's expression hoping to find answers there.

"No, it says it here, 1954," RoaneG handed him the book. She wasn't lying.

Atheyr held the book in his hands and licked the page. That warranted a strange look from RoaneG, but he ignored it, "This book is over four hundred years old. How did you find it, or even know how it was relevant to me?"

"Miranda Cleaves brought down Morpeth Jetsan Company after her factory...this factory melted down. She claims that a man called the Doctor along with two of his friends, Amy and Rory Williams helped her and the remaining of her crew escape. She wrote it all down in her diary...it was never published, but we have connections with the current owner of her diary. RoaneB researched Amelia and Rory Williams and found several books she had published from the 1950s. He is convinced that she is the same Amelia Williams that traveled with the Doctor. It is a good read. This edition has two other stories-one about Melody Malone and the other, about someone named Vastra and Straff, or something."

"Vastra and Strax. How they managed to meet I can only imagine," Atheyr mumbled as he stared at the book. He looked back up when RoaneG moved away from him, "Wait, why give this to me?"

RoaneG turned to him, "I thought you'd might solve the mystery."

"What mystery?"

"Why would the Doctor abandon his companions so far away from their home? The Doctor is supposed to be a force of good. It just doesn't make sense."

Atheyr didn't answer her, the same question was pounding away at his hearts. Maybe it was worth the risk of calling the Doctor here, if not to save himself, but to answer that very question. Atheyr turned the page to start reading. Maybe the answer was hidden within these pages.

Atheyr finished Amy's story, Summer Falls with heavy hearts. He read the other stories too, but his attention stayed on that first story. It was written beautifully and it was fun. Chapter eleven was sad and the main character Kate had a mystery to solve. There was one specific character that immediately caught Atheyr's eye. He called himself the Curator and when Kate told him he had to have a proper name the Curator said he was on 'holiday' from names. Finally the Curator asked if he looked more like a Montmorency or a Keith, but Kate decided to call him Barnabas. Atheyr knew whom the Curator was supposed to be, especially after the Curator told Kate that "Magic is cool".

As fun as the story was, there was a problem. It all proved that this was Amy's book, her story, written and published in 1954. Atheyr had a thousand ideas and theories about how his little Amelia and Rory Pond ended up in the 1950s. Amy had said that Rory was 'getting a little gray' in the author's note. He closed the book and turned away, he couldn't look at it. Was this some sort of joke? Maybe the scientists thought it would be fun to mess with his emotions...He knew that wasn't true...something had happened to his Amy and Rory. The Doctor should have saved them. Why did the Doctor abandon them? Fury sifted through him. He tried to bury it. He had other things to worry about. Like managing to get away from this terrible place.

Atheyr got to his feet and started to pace.

"Sit down Chengyin XI"

"I beg your pardon?" Atheyr looked up as he forgot that he was in the middle of a lab with nutty scientists mucking around with his cubical as they prepared it for transport.

"I said sit down Chengyin XI," Claude repeated. He was in his mid thirties with a thin face and short dark hair. His eyes were a dull gray.

"I am not Chengyin XI," rage burned in Atheyr's eyes.

"Excuse me?" Claude's tone turned dangerous.

"I have a name, and that's not it," Atheyr announced.

"How can you have a name, you aren't really a person...just a copy."

"Right, yeah...No. Don't you even start!" he waved his arms and pointed his finger at Claude as he spoke, "Two hundred and four years ago I sacrificed my life and my brother sacrificed his trust in our most dearest friend to prove that we aren't just copies, but we're people who think and love and hate...I also have hearts, two of them. And I feel just as much as you do. And little human- it makes me ANGRY that you won't use my name."

"Well we can't call you Doctor-" RoaneB chimed in.

"No- yes, you're right I agree with you there," Atheyr said, pointing his finger at RoaneB.

"So-" continued Claude.

"Call me Atheyr, Montmorency Atheyr."

Claude shook his head, "You're kidding me right? You don't get to have a name. It doesn't matter if you can feel happy or sad, you're just gunk, a bit of cells-"

"We were all jelly once," RoaneG said, coming back into the room, "If he wants to have a name I think he should have a name. Besides Chengyin XI is really long and boring..."

"Thank you, RoaneG."

"Excuse me?"

Claude rolled his eyes and went back to work.

"Roane...I called you Roane," Atheyr answered back after thinking about it for a moment.

"No...you said something else, what did you call me?"

Atheyr didn't answer her, he just went back to his seat and sipped his tea...unfortunately it was empty, but that didn't stop him from trying.

"Oi no, get back here," RoaneG skittered back to to his side. She took notice of his empty plate. "You're out of Jammie Dodgers..."

"So I am," Atheyr muttered.

"I'll bring you more if you tell me what you said."

Atheyr rolled his eyes and sighed, "RoaneG, you're RoaneG and he's RoaneB," Atheyr pointed to her brother.

"You gave us nicknames..."

"Yep."

"Okay...I'm cool with nicknames...SO what was that big long thing you wanted us to call you...?"

"Montmorency Atheyr."

"Ooh nice long complicated name... I like it."

"Thank you," he answered. He stopped trying to drink from the empty cup.

"You got it from Summer Falls didn't you? I knew you would identify yourself with Barnabas...but why not 'Barnabas'?"

"I thought Montmorency was an interesting name, but I didn't want to use it because it felt like it had been used already. Montmorency is a free name given out by Amelia herself."

"Well to be fair I think Montmorency fits you better than Barnabas...So can I call you Monty?"

That caught him off guard and Atheyr had to think about for a moment before he answered, "Uh- No."

"What about Montmore"

"Definitely not."

"Rency"

"No thank you."

"Moren? Ren!"

"No, to all. Montmorency Atheyr. I'll also accept Doctor Montmorency," Atheyr declared.

"Actually, I quite like Montmore," RoaneB added.

"Yeah," Agreed RoaneG, "It rhymes with Doctor DOC-TOR...MONT-MORE."

"Montmorency," Atheyr said once more through gritted teeth.

" Aisha."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"My name is Aisha Roane...not RoaneG...and Abel is my twin...not RoaneB...you gave us nicknames, why can't we give you a nickname?"

"That's not how-"

"I think it's perfectly fair. You shall now be forever known as Montmore."

"I don't like it."

"Good...You're not supposed to like it."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Top five left Atheyr alone with the other minions. Atheyr didn't bother to remember their names, they didn't speak to him and they ignored him. So Atheyr ignored them back. Atheyr considered his options for escape. But for him to try to leave the only thing keeping him stabilized would be suicide. He supposed if he had the time and not fifteen human scientists and four guards watching the exits, he might have the chance and the time to rig up a converter. It would help him to absorb the residual Artron Energy in the room, that way it would keep him going for a while.

But there was no way of knowing how long that would keep him going. He still had to figure out how to get off the island. Which led him to the notion of just staying put. The scientists wanted him stable, just as much as he did. So they would get him what he needed. Get him where he needed, like Cardiff, Wales. Atheyr was sure, staying put was his best option of stabilizing and escaping the island. He just had to be patient. Atheyr hated waiting, well, the Doctor hated it, but Atheyr was quickly deciding that so did he.

"Waiting is for wimps" He muttered under his voice.

His head jerked up when RoaneG, RoaneB, Franklin and Claude returned. RoaneB nicked his sonic without even saying a word.

"Oi! That's mine."

"I'll hold onto it, keep it safe for you."

"Ah, I think it would safest in my pockets."

"Well see that's the problem right there." RoaneB went on, "We're going to need your pockets."

"What?"

"He means your clothes." RoaneG explained, "We're ready to transport you, but we aren't taking any risks, if you start to lose your shape, we don't want to be trying to pick flesh out of cotton. Its just a precaution."

He didn't like the idea of submitting to them, but the were right. Transportation was tricky business and Atheyr would rather not become fused with cotton so he answered with a,"Very well." and stripped. They hustled him back into the cubical. Franklin fiddled with the computers and levers attached to his cage and suddenly he felt a shift from within the cage.

"What are you doing?"

Franklin didn't answer him but RoaneG put her hand onto the glass, "We're pumping the Residual Artron Energy into your cubical so it can come with us. We aren't going to take any risks with you."

Atheyr couldn't tell if that brought him comfort or fear. But it was a good idea.

"You should lay down and be as still as you can, there may be some jostling." RoaneG didn't move until he complied. His hearts raced when a white sheet was pulled over his cage and again his mind flashed back to the Pandorica. The Autons forced him into that chair and metal cuffs clamped over his wrists forcing him in place. The Pandorica had everything and he couldn't even escape it by death.

Atheyr shook himself. This was not the same thing, it was just a white sheet stopping him from seeing his surroundings, not several feet of metal. And this time he wasn't restrained, that was an improvement. But still the sheet over his cage only improved the reflection of his panicked expression. Another plus, Atheyr could send his senses out. He could close his eyes and reach out with his mind. He could feel the others in the hover-copter.

Atheyr reached out toward RoaneG, but he was met with a white brick wall. He didn't bother pushing any further, she would notice. RoaneB had a similar barrier, and he couldn't even detect Dr. Roane. Atheyr skipped over Claude, he didn't want to expose himself to Claude's subconscious, without even running around in his head, the man's sick-twisted nature seeped from his entire being. Franklin was easier to reach out to and he didn't have a barrier.

But only after a moment of listening in on his subconscious Atheyr pulled back. His stomach rolled and suddenly he regretted his tea and Jammy dodgers. Not only that but he could feel the Residual Artron Energy shift and lessen. Atheyr pushed the palm of his hand against his suddenly aching head. He should not have done it. The only thing keeping him as him was the Artron Energy, and now he's used some of it up. It wasn't worth the knowledge he pulled from Franklin's mind. All Atheyr could get out of him were violent images. Pain and despair and the image of a little blond-haired girl, Atheyr really didn't want to know. But he had the feeling that Franklin was here against his will.

Atheyr jerked awake, he hadn't realized he had fallen asleep. He sat up, but found he was still en-caged. Of course he was still in the cage, if he left it now he would melt. He winced at the throbbing in his head, it was ultimately worse than before. He tried to ignore it by taking in his surroundings, which do him little good, the sheet still covered the cage. He could tell that his cage had been grounded, so they must have arrived in Cardiff. Must have...but then again, proximity to the rift would have him partially stabilized outside the cage...

Atheyr sucked in a breath and held it when he saw the shadows and silhouettes moving around, and he could hear footsteps. He couldn't sense RoaneG's familiar footsteps and that made him nervous. The sheet move on one side and suddenly flipped up. A man in a white lab coat peered in. He had an id tag and Atheyr learned his name was Martin.

"Wow." Martin breathed, his breath fogged a section of the glass and Atheyr glared. Martin smirked, "It's perfect."

Atheyr pushed himself back away from Martin and the side he had lifted up. But movement caught the corner of his eye and the sheet on the wall behind him lifted up. Another man peered in, the name on his id read Lafreniere.

"Flesh, but Time Lord." Lafreniere spoke.

"You know, now that we have it's molecular structure blueprints, we could make copies...?" Martin suggested. Atheyr turned to look at Martin nervously, but had to turn his head back to Lafreniere.

"Heh, one for you and one for me." Lafreniere winked at Atheyr.

Atheyr's guts twisted and his head continued to pound in beat with his racing hearts.

A hissing sound had Atheyr looking back at Martin, his eyes widened as he watched Martin fiddle with the computers. "Leave that alone!"

"Oh, it speaks?" Lafreniere said with faux surprise.

"And what are you going to do to stop me?" Martin asked with a dark smile. He hit another button and that side of the cage pulled open. Atheyr pushed himself as far as he could into the back of his cube. Luckily it was large enough for him to lay down in it, however Martin was very, very keen to get his hands on Atheyr and he climbed in after him. Suddenly the wall on his back gave out and opened. Atheyr fell backwards onto foreign hands as they roughly pulled him out of the sanctuary of his pale cage.

Atheyr tried to scramble away from the men, but his movements were sluggish. The air burned his skin and he looked at his hands, the milky white had returned. He was reverting back. The two men cornered him. Atheyr struggled to get air into his lungs and his hearts felt like they were shriveling up.

"Please, I'll die, please stop." Atheyr begged, but they only smiled cruelly. They reached out for him and grabbed his arms. Atheyr clenched his eyes closed and screamed in agony. Their skin felt like red hot metal against his flesh. His nerve endings were slowly rising to the surface of his skin, making contact with rough hands and a violent atmosphere that seemed to be on fire.

Suddenly feeling lighter, Atheyr opened his eyes, the men were holding him, but not all of him. Atheyr looked on in horror as his fingers dissolved into droplets of flesh that fell to the floor. Atheyr was being held up and he could see that his left leg had separated from his body. Atheyr screamed again in half agony and half in fear. The two men weren't having nearly as much fun as they were and they had looks of disgust painted on their faces.

Atheyr couldn't keep his head lifted any more, his tormentors thought something similar as Atheyr saw the floor rush up the meet him. Atheyr tried to pull himself forward towards the cage. But the nerve endings that were once on fire were suddenly numb and he couldn't move. His lungs collapsed and his hearts had become embryonic. He didn't have long.

It was hard to hear anything beyond the rushing and static that buzzed in his ears, but he could detect Lafreniere and Martin moving away. His vision blurred and tried to refocus. Not long now and he would be just a puddle of gunge once more. His eyelids started to close.

A spark of gold shimmered passed, reminding Atheyr of regeneration energy. But he wouldn't regenerate now. Atheyr wasn't a Time Lord now, just gunge. But his eyes tracked the shimmering.

A golden-haired girl watched him from across the room. She had pale skin and mismatched eyes. The left eye was blue and the right eye, green. She had a sympathetic expression. She reached out to a panel on the wall. She closed her eyes as her hand pressed against the electronics. Sparks flew, but a shrill alarm screeched. Atheyr held on to the image of the girl as long as he could. But his eyeballs sunk into his head as he melted.

A horrible wet gasp ripped through his body. Pain exploded around him, in him, through him. He shivered and burned...and all at once he sat up. He could hear, see, smell and sense time. He was in his cubicle. The remains of the residual Artron Energy swirled around him, keeping him alive, just barely. The reflection of himself in his glass prison revealed his fleshy form, the milky wet, rubbery flesh and pale eyes, but he was together, one piece again.

He struggled with the his second gasp for air, but by his third wheeze he managed a clean cough as his lungs temporarily stabilized. His head throbbed and the residual Artron Energies in his cubical were extremely low. He had minutes left before he would melt again and that wasn't fair. The sheet had been removed from his cubical and Atheyr could get a bit of a look around beyond his glass. It was a basic lab with his cubical propped up a bit higher than he was used to. On the far side of the wall there was a large mirror. But Atheyr knew better, it was a two-way. And he knew he was being watched.

Atheyr jumped when a door opened, but relief flooded him when he saw RoaneG. That was wrong, because she was a part of this group and organization that had brought him back and he knew. He knew that they had something terrible planned for him, once he was properly stable.

RoaneG had a warm smile on her face and she carried an object in her hand. Atheyr's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. It was a rectangular silver box with wires and little lights.

"Working with you has been an honor." She told him. "I only wish it didn't have to end so soon." She muttered under her voice.

"RoaneG, where did you get that?" He asked her, but she didn't answer. She pulled out of the silver box a glass syringe, filled with a shimmering silvery blue liquid. Atheyr froze at the sight of it.

"Where did you get that?" Atheyr found himself repeating. But he couldn't help it. RoaneG had some how managed to get her hands on Time Lord technology. But it was worse than that. Because Atheyr knew what was in the syringe.

RoaneG opened a small panel on the side of the glass cage. She put her hand through it and held it out to Atheyr. "Let me have your arm." Atheyr hesitated. "If you don't want to melt, then you need this." She held in her other hand the syringe.

"That's Artron Energy..."

"Yes, pure Artron Energy."

"Where did you get that?"

"It doesn't matter. We have minutes before we lose you. So please, give me your arm."

She was right and there wasn't a thing Atheyr could do. So he held out his arm and winced when she stuck him with the needle. His breath hitched as the life giving energy flooded his veins. The Artron energy, in its purest form raced through him and warmed him. Atheyr watched his reflection the glass change back. Back to the Doctor's face and the milky white flesh vanished, forever.

Atheyr gasped and choked on the new energy and struggled to breathe. He could have sworn he heard cheers and an applause. Atheyr winced at the needle pulled back, but after blinking a few times, he found his headache gone and strong Time Lord organs functioning properly. RoaneG had done it. She had stabilized him. But he shivered, knowing that it only meant he would soon find out why they had bothered.


	5. Chapter 5

Atheyr leaned his head against the concrete wall of the cell they had led him to. RoaneG muttered something about paperwork, but she didn't convince Atheyr. It would start soon. The dissecting and experiments. Soon they would know about his respiratory bypass, his hearts and about his telepathy. All the pain he had suffered thus far to become stabilized. It would be child's play compared to what was come. Atheyr knew their type and he knew, that unless he found a way out, he would suffer hell.

Atheyr felt like he was in limbo, he searched his small cell but could find nothing of use. He had a toilet and a sink and bed with a stiff mattress and one whole wall was barred, leaving him exposed without any privacy. At least they had given him clothes, but it was a thin, white t-shirt and track pants. He missed his tweed and bow tie, but he tried not to think about that. As what he had back at the factory was also originally flesh too. He might have the Doctor's memories and Flesh Doctor's memories, but there was a good chance that he was just a copy of the copy and that bothered him.

Atheyr jumped to his feet at the sound of approaching foot steps. He took to the center of his cell and wearily watched as RoaneG approached his cell.

"How are you doing?" Atheyr didn't answer her. He folded his arms and watched her. She frowned at that. "Listen I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to check on you."

"Where did you get the Artron Energy?"

RoaneG rolled her eyes at him. "That's all you care about?"

"No, but its a good question. Humans should be unable to access such things. I thought I would have to build something for you to use and I turn up here and its already done. So tell me how."

"I really shouldn't. I'm not supposed to know, but as it hits close to home..."

"Tell me."

RoaneG sighed, "This is a Katharisei Facility in Plymouth."

"So we're not in Cardiff?"

"No, the rift you mentioned has been shut for hundreds of years."

"So why come here?"

"Because the Expert lives here."

"What expert?"

"The Time Lord Expert. She lives here and she helped us."

Atheyr tried to pull an expressionless mask over his face, RoaneG caught the tail end of it as the corner of his mouth twitched into a frown.

"What. Time Lord. Expert?"

"She's no one good. You don't have to worry about her, she's a murderer and she's getting what she deserves." RoaneG glanced at her wristwatch. "I've got to go. I have a new project proposal I have to get finished today."

"I thought I was your project."

She looked up at him. "That ended when you stabilized."

"How does it feel to have your project stolen from you?"

RoaneG ignored his comment and continued, "I'll try and come see you tomorrow, but now that the pieces are all in place we can finally move forward." She smiled sadly at him. "We'll save the Earth." With that she turned and left Atheyr alone.

Atheyr didn't have to wait long until new footsteps returned to his cell. The new comer had dark skin and he was massively tall with dark eyes and a clean shaven head. He wore a suit under his lab coat and he smiled, showing off his perfectly white glistening teeth.

"Hello, Doctor," his deep voice was thick with an Afrikaans accent.

Atheyr stood up from his bed and stood back into the middle of the room. "You know I'm not actually the Doctor, right?"

"A flesh copy is basically the same thing. We're honored to have you among us."

"I wonder if your honor would let me go."

"And where would you go with out your Tardis?" Atheyr glared at the man. "I know you quite well Doctor."

"Yes, I've heard about your Time Lord Expert. Who is she?"

"Ah, Doctor, you wouldn't want me to spoil the surprise."

Atheyr's expression darkened. All he could see was that tangled mass of curly hair caught up in this mess and he really hoped it wasn't her. "Why don't you just get to the point? Why am I here? Why did you bother to bring me back?"

The man paced around the Doctor's cage as he spoke, "The year is 2367. Two hundred years ago you inadvertently started a revolution. Brought the Morpeth Jetsan Company down. Flesh gangers were given citizenship and there was a hundred years of peace. But its no good, Doctor. Earth is overrun with half breeds born from gunge. There's no room on this planet for all of us. So some will have to go."

"Once the Flesh stabilizes as human they are human, just as I've been stabilized into a Time Lord, I am a Time Lord. Where are you going to send them?"

"Many have left for the other planets and star explorations. But Two hundred years, these gangers have infected Earth. The population has quadrupedal in 300 years. And still Flesh kind are being born everyday. Half-breeds," he said that last word with disgust, "The Katharisei Facilities were established by Fredrick Cobbs to keep Earth pure."

"You remind me of a certain flat faced trampoline woman," Atheyr muttered, "These people aren't Flesh anymore. They are New-Humans. There's no way to tell them apart from humans once they've stabilized. And they've crossed over with Humans so much, there won't be a single trace for you to hunt them down."

"Says you, I'm glad we're not keeping you for your brains."

Atheyr watched without blinking, watching every twitch and movement the man made. "Then what do you want from me?"

"The Doctor is known as the savior of Earth. So you will help us preserve Earth for humans, pure humans."

Atheyr glared from the eye of the Oncoming Storm. "Yes, I've saved the Earth more times than I can count and I'll save it from you."

"Oh, Doctor, you do not want us as your enemy." The man turned away from Atheyr. Just as he did so several others came in and took his place. A scientist and two guards. The man turned to the scientist. "Prepare him for the injection

"What injections?" Atheyr's voice did not betray the shivers that ran up his spine.

The Afrikaans man gave him a small glance and a smirk, his eyes sparkled cruelly, but he didn't answer Atheyr. He left and the scientist nodded to the guards. One of them unlocked the cell door with the swipe of a card and the scientist stepped forward. He had short white hair, obviously bleached as his face was young. He had smooth chocolate skin and platinum gold eyes that glittered with maliciousness.

Atheyr backed up against the wall. Forcing the guards to enter his cell after him. Atheyr looked at the invaders. "You don't have to do this."

The platinum golden-eyed scientist smiled. "No, but I want to." He nodded to the guards and they reached out for Atheyr. Atheyr refused and he fought them.

It was rather short lived. He was surrounded and they held him painfully in place. The guard on his left put some pressure on his shoulder, right over the bundle of nerves hidden as if he knew exactly how to restrain a Time Lord. It wasn't enough to pressure incapacitate Atheyr, but it was a warning, a reminder to Atheyr that they were in control and could hurt him whenever they wanted. They dragged him from the cell and down a pristine hallway. He struggled again when they came to a room with an operating table at the center. Bright lights focused on the table and equipment littered the room. He would not just sit still while they made him a guinea pig.

The guard on his left let go, only for a second, but it was only that second he needed to free his arm and knock the guard on the right to the floor. Atheyr pulled the rest of his body loose and tumbled backwards into the hallway. He dodged passed the last guard and ran. He ignored the rooms with windows and pushed his way through a double set of doors hoping it was a way out. immediately he could tell: it was a mistake.

Atheyr managed to enter into another lab. Where he stood the light was dim, but in the center of the room the lights blazed brightly. There was a woman laying on an operating table. Tubes ran in and out of her body. Atheyr couldn't see her face, but he could see her long ginger hair, hanging like a curtain from the table. He couldn't help his first thought, '_Amy'. _She wasn't Amy, she was too old and short. His second thought was Donna, but it wasn't her either. Too frail looking. His eyes moved to the scientists surrounding her, their hands were bloody while holding scalpels and picks. Atheyr stared at the woman's open and bloodied chest.

"What is this-?" Atheyr asked in horror, "What you have done?"

A voice pushed against the barriers of Atheyr's mind.'_Go Away, get out, get out GET OUT!' t_he voice in his head roared at him. Atheyr fell to his knees, his head felt like it was going to explode. He could feel what she was feeling, weakness associated with blood loss, the scalpels cutting her flesh, tissue and muscle, the picks scraping against her bones; the needles and tweezers stealing samples from her lungs and everything. The worst part wasn't that she was conscious, but that she felt everything. They didn't give her any anesthesia or analgesics.

"Stop it!" Atheyr yelled both to the voice that shared her agony and to the scientists who dissected her. He held his head in one hand while the other went to his chest.

The voice quieted at his request, and became muttering whispers, '_Get out, Get out.'_

Suddenly a huge weight slammed into Atheyr sending him sprawling to the floor, the wind knocked out of him. His hands were being bound behind him and he was being dragged away. He held onto the voice in his head. '_Who are you?' _But she didn't answer back. Her voice faded and his mind was silenced as he fell into ominous darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 The Virus**

When Atheyr woke up he found himself strapped to an uncomfortable metal table. He felt a sharp scratch on the inside of his left arm. Someone shoved a needle into a vein and deposited some unknown contents. Atheyr turned his head just in time to see the platinum gold eyed scientist remove the needle and move away. Almost immediately his arm felt like it was burning. Atheyr winced as the fire spread up to his elbow and onward to his shoulder. He shuddered at the heat spread across his chest and from there on its speed doubled until his whole body felt like it was on fire.

A fever, a high one caused by infections, thanks to the injection. He couldn't place what it was. He noted his symptoms but the fever clouded his thoughts. His mind kept drifting back to an unfortunate adventure with Martha Jones. The fire threatened to take over his mind and body once more and Atheyr groaned and clenched his eyes as the lab suddenly became too bright. _Burn with me_ the words echoed in his mind. He gritted his teeth as a powerful headache seized him and he twisted, as if he could escape it.

After an endless hour of an unrelenting headache and a fire that consumed his flesh, the fire changed. He yelled when the fire reached the hottest temperature and then went a step further. Suddenly Atheyr's body shuddered and shivered, the fire so hot, he felt cold.

"Minus 200 Celsius. Only last ten seconds," Atheyr muttered.

He didn't dare risk letting the sentient sun take over his body and risk Martha and the others' lives. He felt sick. Really sick. Despite clenching his eyes closed, he felt dizzy. Like if he was sitting in a rotating chair and it was a new spin cat adventure. He didn't think that was very nice to do that to poor little kitties. He wanted off the ride now.

Atheyr jerked forward, the Velcro belts around his wrists kept him on the table. But he spewed up sour bile from his currently empty stomach. He gagged and choked, but no one came to clean him up and when his stomach stopped seizing, he collapsed back to the table with a sticky burning mess over his freezing body. He struggled to regulate his breathing, he knew his oxygen levels were low. He was so out of breath. He struggled for a long time before lack of oxygen caused his world to go dark.

When he opened his eyes again, his fever was gone. He breathed properly, oxygen levels were back up, the painful headache all but a memory and someone had cleaned him up. His throat burned from the bile and his tongue felt like sandpaper. But whatever he had been given had been eradicated by his own immune system.

"Fascinating." Several voices above him muttered. Hovering over him was the scientist who had given him the damned drug, but accompanying him were Dr. Roane and Afrikaans accented man from earlier.

"Give him the second dose." The Afrikaans man ordered.

"No." Atheyr breathed as the scientist stuck the needle back into his already bruised arm. And it all happened again.

He didn't lose consciousness as quickly as he had the first time. The fever had time to wear him out. And even when he gagged up the bile from his stomach, he didn't have the energy to lift his head up. He just sputtered it and let it drain down his cheek. His eyes closed, but not from a headache, from pure exhaustion. He moaned as it felt like his joints were coming apart, as if every tendon in his body were slowly being pulled apart. His skin felt like it was on fire, he shuddered as if he had been submerged in ice and he began to itch. Everything itched. Maybe an electromagnetic pulse went off somewhere close by. Maybe mosquitoes had attacked him. Maybe someone put itching powder in his pants. Everything itched and everything burned and his oxygen levels were dropping and everything blurred in an out.

When he woke up to find himself healed with his hard working Time Lord immune system broke through whatever they had done to him, the scientist loomed over him. A threatening needle in his hand as he carelessly he injected the infectious contents. Atheyr winced as the scientist gripped his already sore wrist and added another bruise to his arm.

The symptoms grew with each injection. Fever, chills, shortness of breath, burning of the skin, itchiness, nausea, headache, achy joints, dizziness. By the forth injection Atheyr knew he was suffering from a form of heart disease, affecting both hearts. By the seventh injection the disease spread from his hearts to his bones. Everything hurt. And the only thing he could think of to cause such damage and associated symptoms was an ancient disease, by three hundred years relevant to the current time line. It should have been eradicated a hundred some years ago and it shouldn't even be affecting his Time Lord physiology. But apparently Atheyr's flesh cells weren't the only thing the 24th century had preserved. Atheyr was sure that the evil scientists had been giving him an enhanced version of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. It did damage faster than it was ever recorded of causing. And with each injection it would soon be Time Lord immune system resistant.

After healing from the ninth dosage, Atheyr awoke to the Afrikaans accented man. Atheyr was so tired of it all, but he struggled for his voice.

"What's the point?"

"I was hoping you'd ask."

"Are you going to tell me the whole plan?" he struggled to stay awake in his banter, "Love it when the villain does that. Gives me the opportunity to figure it out faster. Saves me a lot of time."

"You won't be able to escape."

"Yeah tell yourself that. So what's the plan? Going to infect whomever you deem to be impure with a deadly disease your kind took hundreds of years to destroy?"

"Oh it's much better than that."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, because you see this virus is special. My special project, not even the Ghost knew about this one."

"Ghost, what ghost?"

"Never mind about her, tell me I'm a genius."

"No."

"You will, you see this virus only multiplies if the host is flesh."

"But most half-breeds were born that way, with both parents stabilized as new-humans. There just isn't a gene that says, 'oh yeah, flesh remnants'. That's kinda the point of the flesh it physically changes the genes to human."

"Doctor, I have something I want to show you."

"How about a bed?"

The Afrikaans man smiled and guards came into Atheyr's line of vision. They removed the restraints and pulled him from the table. They placed him down on the floor, expecting him to stand there on his own. It wasn't going to happen, almost immediately Atheyr's legs gave out and he sank to the floor. The Afrikaans man nodded to the guards and they lifted Atheyr up. The Afrikaans's man lead them away, while the guards dragged Atheyr down a hall. They came to a stop in front of a room, with walls made of glass. Atheyr struggled to keep his head up. To see what was happening. Inside the room were children. Two girls. One had dark short brown hair and pale gray eyes. The other was a little blonde girl, they looked about five years old and they looked terrified.

"What is this?"

"The blonde one is called Leera, the other one is Zanna. Leera is a pure human, Zanna is like you, in a way. One of her parents was what you call a New-Human."

"Why are they here? They're children!"

"They're here to show you how well you've improved our virus." The dark skinned bleached haired scientist entered the room and injected Leera with what Atheyr figured was the MRSA virus they'd been giving him for the passed twelve hours. Apart from whimpering from the natural reaction to getting a shot, none of the initial symptoms seemed to appear on Leera. No redness or rashes. She didn't seem like she was in pain. She was going to be okay.

Atheyr struggled, but was held fast by the guards, unable to do anything else he snarled, "STOP!" When the scientist injected Zanna. Immediately the little girl's pale skin broke out into a rash. She sat on the floor and she cried as her little hands held her head. She coughed and choked and pimples began to appear up and down her arms. Some of them burst and Zanna curled up into a ball, crying as the disease overtook her little body.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it, STOP IT! STOP IT!" Atheyr found himself suddenly screaming it. He thrashed in the guards' custody desperate to get free, desperate to save the little girl. The scientist in the room collected a sample of her blood and scanned it. When he came out into the hallway to report back to Afrikaans' man, he told him that the virus had not yet reached its full capacity.

Finding strength he didn't realize he had, Atheyr knocked back one of the guards and twisted his arms free. Immediately he charged into the room with the two girls. He carefully scooped Zanna into his arms. He didn't know what to do, but he had to save her.

"I'm sorry."

Atheyr's eyes widened. The little girl looked back, it was her voice, she said, "I'm sorry". Why? Why, when she was suffering from a mutating enhanced virus, incubated in his body, why would she say sorry?

Atheyr looked down to his hands, he'd accidentally knocked open a few boils in his mad dash to help her. The pus and infection touched his skin and a redness spread around it. Atheyr was infected again. Atheyr turned to look through the glass. The scientist locked Atheyr in there with the two girls. It wasn't much longer before Atheyr fell to the floor himself, unable to keep upright from the mutating virus coursing through his veins.

It took hours and hours to rid the virus of his body. Each time Atheyr woke up he was weaker and they injected him with the mutated virus. By the fifteenth injection, his antibodies started failing. Though this time the virus moved through his body slower, it made sure to inflict horrible pain and terrible damage. He knew he had plenty of time to suffer before it would kill him. Too weak to move, he was left nearly paralyzed on the table as the virus left a trail of damage. Blisters grew up in patches over his body as his skin deteriorated. His vision was blurry and his mind was shutting down. He kept hearing little Zanna's voice echoing in his mind, "I'm sorry." Her voice consumed him so much that he could barely pick up the sounds of bodies moving in and out of the room to watch him rot on the table.

Atheyr drifted in and out of anguished consciousness. Eventually he noticed himself completely alone, the usual sounds of bodies and voices were gone. That was new, they had never left him alone without being monitored before. That's when a new sound came to him. It was like the ringing of a phone. Only this one was too loud and high-pitched and it was just a long string of endless rings. It almost sounded like a fire alarm.

Smoke assaulted his nose and his eyes slowly opened. Lights flashed along with the noise grating against his mind, he choked on the smoke that was swiftly filling the lab. Surprised that he might actually die because of a fire, he found himself calm at the idea that he would perish and take the mutated virus with him. Earth would be safe from him. He didn't struggle, he was much too exhausted for to do so. He didn't really want to die. But this was better for everyone. After all he wasn't supposed to exist to begin with.

But he couldn't just be left to die in peace, he screamed and clenched his eyes shut when the flames reached him and danced over his wrists. He cried when the blazing heat gripped his face. The fire burned through his restraints. Atheyr laid limply, despite the straps disappearing. The flames pulled him away from the table. A whirlwind of fire spun him around, until his mind was nearly gone. He wished he could see Amy one last time.

Strangely the smoke cleared from his lungs as the flames latched onto his arms and dragged him off of the table, he cried as the movement broke the blisters. Atheyr shuddered in pain. The fire forced him up and then sat him down into a chair. Wearily he opened his eyes and saw that he was not enveloped by fire but by RoaneG and RoaneB. They strapped him down to the wheelchair, but Atheyr had no intention of trying to escape. His skin felt like it was on fire, boils burst, yellowy green stained blood dripped from them and on the inside it felt like someone was stabbing him with a red hot poker. He supposed it helped keep him in place as he found himself twisting, trying to get away from the stabbing pain. But how do you escape from something that's inside you? Atheyr tightly clenched the armrests of the chair as RoaneB pushed him down the hall, the sudden movement caused acute vertigo and he clenched his eyes shut.

Atheyr felt the chair go down a set of steps and each jolt and bump caused a flare of agony both from the inside and on the surface of his skin. Just as Atheyr got his breath back from the bumpy trip down the steps, RoaneB pushed his chair out a set of double doors and into a fierce frozen wind. Atheyr gagged at the sudden change of temperatures. He opened his eyes found RoaneG standing in front of him. She had in her arms a thick duvet and she proceeded to wrap Atheyr up tightly in the blanket. He groaned as the material rubbed against open blisters. He jerked his head away from her when she produced a syringe. From behind RoaneB held his head to the side, exposing his neck to RoaneG.

"No, please stop-," he started and hissed when she stuck the needle into his neck. He closed his eyes as the contents flooded his blood stream. As soon as the needle was removed, RoaneB released Atheyr and began pushing him again. Atheyr opened his eyes slowly and carefully turned his head. They were leaving the facility.

Atheyr's hearts were in his throat when they turned a corner onto a busy sidewalk filled with people. He had heard the scientists talking...about how to make the virus they cultivated in him airborne. How they would introduce it to the rest of the inhabitants of Earth. How cruel were these people then? To take him out in public so that he would personally infect them. With the little bit of movement he could make in the chair, he pulled the duvet tight, covering up every drop of infected puss that oozed from his body. He aimed his breath for the inside of blanket, just in case.

When RoaneB pushed his chair passed a police officer Atheyr lifted his head up. He was stupid, old and thick, also his body was fighting a battle with a virus and losing terribly, but that was no excuse! Atheyr fought with all his power and all his might to get the officer's attention.

"Help! Someone help me!" He struggled, trying to knock his wheelchair over to the side. Each turn and twist and centimeter of movement sent fire soaring through his body. But it didn't stop him. He moved until the officer moved and Atheyr had his attention. Atheyr forced RoaneB to a stop as he tried to keep the chair from tipping and RoaneG took to a side trying to help.

But it worked and the officer approached them.

"Everything alright?"

"No!" Atheyr spoke just as RoaneG and RoaneB answered, "Yes"

"What seems to be the problem sir?" The officer directed it to Atheyr.

"I'm a Time Lord and I've been kidnapped by an evil organization working on creating bio-weapon against all humans who are descended from the Flesh."

The officer gave him a concerned look and then turned to RoaneG and RoaneB, "What?"

"This is our brother he's mentally ill, we were on our way back from a doctor's appointment, we haven't had the chance to give him his drugs yet." RoaneG explained.

"She forgot to get him a juice pack to swallow the pills." RoaneB told the officer.

"What? No! That's a lie, I am the Doctor!"

"He's been obsessed with all of the stories, it doesn't help that there was that blue box in the sky the other night." RoaneB went on.

"I saw that, half the world rejoiced that the Doctor was back on Earth!" The officer said pointing to RoaneB. "India wanted to blow up that sphere! He never did come back to explain, did he? And the sphere just vanished."

"What...What?" Atheyr twisted to look at RoaneG.

The officer looked down at Atheyr with pity. "Well you better get him back home and indoors, you don't want him to be causing a scene, anymore than he is."

"Yes, sir." RoaneB nodded and started to push him.

"No, please, just look, they've done something to me, everyone is in danger!" Atheyr struggled to show off his blisters, but he was strapped too tightly and the duvet covered him up.

The officer looked back at Atheyr and could see the distress clearly painted on his face. So he stepped out in front of RoaneB and Atheyr once more. "Hang on, he seems really upset, can you show me proof of id and the prescription.

Atheyr sighed in relief, "Thank you."

But to his utter disbelief RoaneG did produce a prescription, she even had the little white paper bag with a bottle of unopened pills. She also held out an id for herself and for Atheyr. RoaneB showed off his and the officer inspected them, nodded in approval and returned them back to RoaneB and RoaneG. "Alright that will keep my conscience clear."

"No, please! Please!" Atheyr begged. But the officer let them pass. Atheyr struggled in the chair, nearly wrecking it twice. With a growl of frustration RoaneB turned into an alley away from the crowds.

"Stop it!" RoaneB ordered, but Atheyr only fought harder. RoaneB hit Atheyr on the side of the head. Atheyr's head jerked to the left and choked for a moment as magma seemed to run down his cheek.

"No-!" RoaneG pushed RoaneB away from Atheyr. "We can't risk hurting him further!"

"Its like he wants to be found out and taken back!" RoaneB hissed back.

"What?" Atheyr found himself rasping.

RoaneG came around and knelt in front of Atheyr. Her light touch feathered against the burning skin. "I need you to calm down or we'll all be caught."

Atheyr twigged away at her touch and panted out, "I won't let you use me to kill them."

RoaneG looked at RoaneB but he shrugged. RoaneG turned back to Atheyr, "What do you mean?"

"You brought me out here to spread the virus."

RoaneG's eyebrows raised and she shook her head, "No, that's not why."

Atheyr's eyebrows pushed together in confusion, "Then. Why?"

RoaneG bit her lip as she spoke, "We're running away, we're saving you."

Atheyr shook his head and winced at the stabbing pain on the inside, "My immune system has been compromised, I'm not strong enough to beat the virus this time. I'll be dead soon."

RoaneG shook her head again, "No, I gave you the antidote. Its slow, but it will work."

"So if I survive then...Are you going to let me go?"

"I don't know. But coming with me will be better than staying at the Facility." RoaneG told him. "Now you need to sit still. We can't risk you making anymore scenes. If you can't sit quietly..." RoaneG opened the white paper bag with the bottle of pills.

"Just give it to him already." RoaneB complained, "We've been out here too long and seen by too many people. They'd have put the fire out already."

"What fire?" Atheyr asked, he turned his head to look at RoaneB.

He didn't give Atheyr any kind of glance as RoaneG spoke, "I don't want to give it to him unless we absolutely have to."

"Why? What are they?" Atheyr looked back at RoaneG, his voice becoming desperate again.

RoaneG finally met his eyes, "It'll put you to sleep for a couple of hours but they'll interact with the drug fighting the virus. It'll slow down the healing."

RoaneB rolled his eyes, "Aisha, just give it to him and lets go."

RoaneG sighed, "Fine."

"No, please don't drug me, I'll be still!"

RoaneG hesitated, but as her eyes drifted from Atheyr to RoaneB she gave in to her brother. She spilled a couple of the pills into her hand and offered them to Atheyr. He clamped his mouth shut and refused. RoaneB tried to pry his mouth open but the pressure on his jaws was not enough. Atheyr wouldn't give in. RoaneG tried pinching his nose.

"That won't work he's got that respiratory bypass thing." RoaneB whined.

RoaneG frowned and Atheyr smiled as he glared up at her. He could hold his breath for a long time and that would just be more time wasted away. RoaneG gave up with a sigh, "What do we do then?"

"You could not drug me," Atheyr suggested, he clamped his mouth shut again before RoaneG could think about tossing them in. RoaneB thought a moment as RoaneG gave Atheyr a sympathetic look.

"I know! He won't like it, be ready, Aisha."

Atheyr looked from RoaneB to RoaneG, when suddenly pain radiated from the hidden bundle of nerves in his left shoulder, it dazed him as light flashed behind his eyelids. He gasped at the sudden pressure and he threw his head back to cry out; but before sound could rip through his lips, two white pills were shoved onto the back of his tongue. Dazed with the continuous throbbing from his shoulder and with his jaw and mouth held shut by the twins, Atheyr thickly swallowed the drugs.

The twins held him a moment longer, just to be sure before they released him. Atheyr nearly tried to regurgitate them back up, but his shoulder hurt too much, not to mention all the wounds their horseplay reopened. All Atheyr could do was to stick his tongue out, the nasty flavor clung to his tongue in the form of a white streak.

"Tastes bad." Atheyr complained with his tongue sticking out. He blinked a few times, sure that his eye sight was going wonky. Everything blurred, _Must be the drugs _he thought sluggishly. He struggled to keep them open, but it didn't do him much good. Atheyr found himself sinking back into the chair as RoaneB pushed him along. Atheyr heard RoaneB say, "See, much easier to deal with now."

The trip to God knows where came to Atheyr as a blur. The drugs they forced down his throat kept his consciousness just under the surface. He was too weak to struggle and make a 'scene'. Every now and then he managed to open his eyes a crack, and look out. But everything was out of focus. His hearing seemed to be asleep, sometimes he'd catch a phrase or a word or a "Don't worry officer, this is our brother, he's very ill."

Atheyr couldn't do a thing about it. Another vague memory of being crammed into a small room with loads of strangers that might not even had known their great-great-great grandparents had been Flesh. New-Humans. Anyone of them who accidentally bumped into his chair could catch the deadly disease and in the end he had no choice but to give up. The drugs took him far away from the sounds and chaos and noise.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 The Ghost

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a bed. It was uncomfortable and stiff, it smelled of mildew. Atheyr's arm felt sore from the injections, but a new pressure on it encouraged him to try and move it into a new position. But unable to move his arm more than a twitch left Atheyr feeling weak and useless. When he looked up he could see that it was cuffed to the metal bed frame. With a sigh he took it as his cue to inspect his new environment.

It was downsized for sure. No more white pristine hospital walls, bright lights or expensive equipment. It looked like Atheyr had been left in the attic. The roof came closer to the floor on the sides of the room and above his head was a small window. Too small for him to get his body through, figures. If he concentrated hard enough through the headache still plaguing him, Atheyr could pick up the voices of RoaneG and RoaneB, they were somewhere on the ground floor, arguing. He couldn't make out their words, he was too tired for that. So he changed his focus from his new environment to the war raging on inside of him.

He had improved, the virus ceased its attack on his hearts and bones, but the dermal damage still went on. There were massive boils all over his body and Atheyr's immune system struggled so much now that he was sure the only way to really get rid of the virus was to drain the boils. _Urgh_. He wasn't looking forward to that. He lifted his head up to try and get a good look at himself, but he didn't have the strength. The sedative they gave him still circulated in his bloodstream. Atheyr struggled and fought the sedative, but his system was weak from tsunami of injections. Fighting the sedative exhausted him until he couldn't fight, until he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

"Arrrgh!" Atheyr woke with a scream in his throat. There were bright lights around him, it made him regret attempting to open his eyes. But there it was the sharp pain on his left thigh. "Stop!" He tried to yell, but he was breathless and it came out as a strangled gasp.

"Keep going." Atheyr heard RoaneB say and the terrible pressure returned. Atheyr was much too tired for this. He gasped as what felt like needles dig into his skin and the soft tissues beneath. There was pressure and prodding and then it stopped. Other pains came in an out of his focus, his back felt like there was a wild fire burning away tissue and muscles. His arms hurt, his face hurt, his chest, legs and feet. Everything felt like drops of molten mental had been left on his body and it hurt.

Atheyr wheezed his way through the agony, but he managed to open his eyes. Before him stood RoaneG and RoaneB outfitted in scrubs and wearing medical gloves. Around Atheyr were an array of medical utensils, gauze, bandages, and bloodied rags tinted scarlet with his blood and green and yellow with infectious pus. They'd been draining the boils and it hurt like hell.

Atheyr gave them a confused look when the began cleaning up the mess. RoaneG looked at him, she wore a medical mask, "That was the last one, you slept through the others."

"Fifty-nine abscesses and boils. The second to biggest one was on your thigh, the one we just finished." RoaneB explained.

"It may scar, for a while, considering you're a Time Lord now, it might not be there for long." RoaneG added.

"You should have seen the biggest one, on your lower back. It was massive, a radius of five inches. It'll be sore for a while, there is a lot of muscle damage. About half an inch deep. We got loads of infection out of that one."

"Please stop," Atheyr panted.

"We'll get you more comfortable after we clean up here. But you're not contagious anymore." RoaneG added.

Atheyr watched her with uncertainty. "Whatchya goin' to do to me?"

RoaneB glanced at her, also curious to her answer.

RoaneG pulled off her gloves and then pulled down her mask. "I honestly don't know."

Atheyr's eyebrows raised in hope, "You'll let me go?"

"I can't do that. You're my biggest success." His expression turned angry, but she continued. "But I can't show my face ever again at any Katharisei Facilities."

"And you've doomed me to that too, thanks, sis." RoaneB complained.

"I didn't have a choice, it was get him out of there or..." RoaneG stopped.

RoaneB gave her a look. A warning, not to tell him. Not to tell Atheyr.

"Or what?" Atheyr asked right at his cue.

RoaneG looked at her brother and turned to Atheyr. "Either save you, or she swore she'd make us suffer a living Hell."

"She who?" Atheyr asked.

RoaneG glanced at RoaneB, but he had thrown his hands up into the air and then went back to sterilizing everything as RoaneG took a chair and pushed it close to Atheyr's bed.

"She's a...you'll think I'm crazy. She's a ghost. She's been haunting facilities since...forever I guess. She doesn't have a name, that we know of. And she specifically doesn't like Dr. Vermaak."

"Who's that?"

"Tall back man with a thick Afrikaans' accent." RoaneB commented as he worked. "He's like our president. Runs all of it all the facilities. You have a project, you talk to him. He commissioned your resurrection. And now we've earned him as our number one enemy thanks to 'the Ghost."

Atheyr's expression darkened as he thought about Leera and Zanna and that man's expression as he had them experimented on.

"Anyway, Dr. Vermaak originally was located down in Johannesburg. But the Ghost caused so many problems, from electric outages to interfering with experiments to haunting and even attacking scientists that Dr. Vermaak had to close down the facility. He thought maybe the Ghost was anchored to location and he moved to different facilities. Each time the Ghost followed him." RoaneG took a breath, "She's followed him for over thirty years. This isn't the first time she's forced us to release prisoners. She's a malicious force no one wants to be involved with."

"So she coerced you to help me?"

"Yes," RoaneG's expression darkened, "Threatened mine and Abel's safety, promised she would make us suffer Hell if we didn't save you."

"Well, no harm should come from you, since you've helped me, you should be safe."

RoaneG considered this, "Maybe."

"So you'll let me go?" Atheyr asked hopefully. He tugged pointedly on his handcuffed arm, but RoaneG made no move to release him.

"We can't, not yet. Its not safe, you'd be found and we'd be punished."

"But-?"

RoaneG shook her head as she interrupted him, "Being blood relatives doesn't help, breaking loyalty with the Katharisei...there's no coming back from it. And to be honest, I'll take my chances with the Facility."

"This ghost is that bad?"

"She's not a force to be reckoned with. I've not seen her much, but all the stories are true. She's killed our scientists before. Tortured others. She gets into our security systems and interferes with...everything. She can phase through the walls. There's no hiding from her and she's ordered your release, I don't to die and I want my brother to be safe."

"So the ghost is in charge now."

RoaneG shuddered, "Yeah...So I've gotten you out, I'll keep you safe from the Facility...we'll just hang low until she comes back."

"Okay...I don't suppose you could unhand cuff me?"

"I'm not risking you escaping and getting caught by the Facility, you're in no condition to go wandering about."

"I'm not going to risk capture again, please, just free my hand."

"Listen Montmore, let me just make something clear here. I don't trust you. If the Facility finds you the ghost will blame me and hurt my brother. I'm not taking the risk. You need your rest. I'll bring up some food in a few hours."

"Please, just free my arm." Atheyr nearly begged as RoaneG dragged her brother out of the room. RoaneG gave him a final glance but didn't respond. They left him quietly. Atheyr tugged a final time on the cuff angrily.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Illness

RoaneG and RoaneB had left him alone to his thoughts and aching wounds for hours. Hours and hours. Four hours, handcuffed to a bed, a throbbing headache that kept his wandering senses tied to one boring old attic. He tried to sleep to help heal the wounds, to focus all of his resources on sealing them, allowing him to sleep peacefully.

He closed his eyes. Atheyr drew his concentration to his hearts. He calmed them and slowed them down. 80 beats a minute. He slowed his breathing and let himself relax. Do you know how hard it is to relax when you're handcuffed to a bed? But with focus he managed 60 beats a minute. He was getting there, slowly but surely. 30 beats a minute. Atheyr cleared his thoughts, he focused on his hearts, he put all the things that he worried and stressed over behind a door in his mind. He would gain control over his hearts. 10 beats per minute and then he finally slipped into the healing sheep his aching body so desperately needed.

However only after a mere thirty minutes his hearts' beats increased, Atheyr obliviously slid from the healing coma into REM Sleep.

**He didn't know where he was. He jumped once to test the ground and gravity. His surroundings were shrouded in an unending darkness, but he could tell he was out in the open.**

**"Hello?" He asked the darkness with uncertainty.**

"**Doctor?" Came a faint voice with a thick Scottish accent. **

"**Amy?!" The Doctor shouted.**

**A shadow figure in the dark distance moved towards him. As she ran her ginger hair glowed lighting up the face of the one and only Amy Pond.**

"**Doctor!" She exclaimed her face lighting up with a smile that made his hearts leap for joy. **

**The Doctor ran to his best friend and hugged her tight, " I won't ever let you go, I won't let anything happen to you. I swear." But a chill ran down his spine when Amy did not return the hug. She stood still like a frozen statue and her voice became just as cold and hard. **

"**But Doctor...you already have."**

**The Doctor leaned back to look at her face, it was dead, expressionless, soulless and heartless and he was afraid, "No. No I wouldn't I couldn't, I haven't!" The Doctor tried to remember what he had done, but there was nothing. **

**Amy shook her head, "You made me wait fourteen years, then you abandoned me. What a waste, what a disappointment you've been." Those didn't sound like her words, but it still hurt him. This Amy knew that and a Cheshire cat's grin spread across her face.**

"**Amy, I'm sorry." He took a step towards her, but she pulled away. **

"**No, nothing you say will ever stop me from hating you." Her eyes glowed with wrath. The Doctor stepped back, the verbal blow was as painful as the wounds littering his body. Amy's face faded into a gathering crowd.**

"**Doctor!"**

**The Doctor turned his head and stared at Peri, her hair gone and her empty eyes wept blood, "Doctor, why did you let them kill me?"**

"**No. Oh No, Peri, I'm sorry!"**

**Another voice shouted out his name and the Doctor turned, Jamie stared back. "I wasted my life on you and you didn't fight for me. All those years I fought for you and you let them take it all away, to die with the barbarians as a barbarian. I knew time and space and I learned to read and write and you let them kill me. **

**The Doctor fought to draw breath, but he could feel it in his chest, his hearts breaking apart. He turned away, desperate to get away from all the suffering. The suffering he caused. **

"**You ruined my life, left me with some consultation prize!" Rose shouted at him. **

"**You made me go back, an ignorant woman, I saved worlds and you made me go back!" Screamed Donna. **

"**I wish I had never met you, Doctor." Jack whispered into his ear.**

"**Grandfather, you left me! You left me on a strange planet alone. You didn't save Alex, you let him die! It should have been you!" Susan cried. **

**The Doctor couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't bare to listen to them to hear their accusing voices, to see the hatred in their eyes. Because it was true, everything they accused was true. He had abandoned them to die alone. He had sacrificed them and left them and killed them. He should have never taken them out of their time and he did. He was a selfish old man and he couldn't bear to face the truth. **

**And so he did what he's always done. He ran. He ran into the Darkness away from the jeering crowd of all that had suffered at the hand of the Doctor. A word for healer turned into the Oncoming storm. That's why he never went back. He couldn't live with himself, seeing their suffering, the suffering he had caused. **

**The darkness poured around him until he could see nothing. And the darkness slithered around him as if alive, like smoky snake preparing to strike. **

"**GAH!" The snake smacked him down, making his face hurt. But the darkness swirled and wisped away to reveal a light and a _vworping_ sound. The Doctor looked and his hearts stuttered in relief. The Doctor got up and approached his magical blue box. He sighed in obvious relief as he caressed the wood.**

__**"Save me from the monsters." He whispered to his closest and longest friend. But he jerked back when the wood burned his hand. He watched in horror, he could feel his hearts tearing themselves from his chest, as flames engulfed his precious Blue Box. She dissolved and morphed in a golden flame until from the glittering dust stepped out a raggedy lady. His raggedy Lady.**

"**Old Girl?" The Doctor muttered, but she too turned away from him. Her eyes were closed as if she was listening to a distant song.**

"**Do you hear them?" she asked.**

"**Hear who?"**

"**Do you hear them? They're crying."**

**Then the sound of tears and pleading wailed out, stretched out towards him. He drowned in that sound. He pounded his fists into his head and pulled clumps of hair out, as that sound filled him. It was the sound of 2.47 billion children crying.**

"**No no no no no! No! I don't want to remember this, PLEASE!" He begged the universe.**

**The Doctor opened his eyes and struggled off of the gurney. His clothes were gone and just as he made it upright vines sprouted up from the floor and wrapped themselves around him. They forced him back onto the gurney where Dr. Vermaak and Dr. Roane loomed over him, shining scalpels in their hands. **

"**Lets see what makes a Time Lord Tick." Dr. Vermaak suggested.**

"**Tick Tock, Tick Tock." Sang Dr. Roane. **

"**No!" The Doctor cried out as Dr. Vermaak made the first slice. But instead of orangey-red blood welling up, white gunge bubbled up. **

**Dr. Vermaak growled with frustration, "This is no Time Lord, just a flesh copy." In his anger he slammed the scalpel into The Doctor's right heart, breaking his ribs along with way. The Doctor arched his back and screamed. He could feel the blade in his heart. He choked and blood began to fill his lungs and he coughed, but not a single speck of blood appeared, only the white gunge, the white flesh. **

**"GRAHHHH!" The Doctor screamed again when the scalpel was pulled from his chest. He looked up to see that Dr. Vermaak and Dr. Roane had been replaced by Amy and Rory, Rory held the blade. **

"**Just a fake." Sneered Amy, "You may as well put him down, he's no good to anyone."**

**Rory nodded in agreement and slit the Doctor's throat. **

Atheyr's eyes flashed open as he attempted to sit up. The handcuffs around his wrist prevented that and painfully dragged him back. He struggled for a moment, desperate to get his breath back. The dream came back in waves and he gagged at the memory. His hearts pounded much too quickly for a healing coma. He didn't know what caused the REM trigger.

"Gah!" He flinched, sending a piercing pain through his damaged back. He didn't mean to scream, but one second she wasn't there and now, she was.

The golden-haired mismatched blue-green eyed girl stood over him. Her face solemn. Her semi transparent form made her seem like a real ghost, but there was something about that theory that was wrong.

"I thought you only stalked Dr. Vermaak?" Atheyr found himself asking. His words grated painfully through his throat, suggesting that he had overused it.

The girl shook her head. She opened her mouth but sound didn't come out. Luckily Atheyr could lip read.

'-I waited-', Mouthed the Ghost.

"Waited for who?"

She didn't open her mouth but she pointed at him.

"Why me? How did you know I would turn up here?"

'-Save them-'.

It wasn't the answer he expected and he tried to make himself smaller when she reached out towards him. Her hands phased through the lock on his cuffs, the red light beeped and turned green. All at once his arm dropped down releasing him from the bed. He smiled, free at last! Before he could thank the Ghost, she vanished.

Standing hurt. It hurt a lot. Atheyr could finally have a proper look at his wounds, despite them being under bandages. But the standing, the gravity pulling on the holes left in his body. It hurt. _Out of sight out of mind. _He decided against inspecting the wounds and made a wobbly attempt for the door. The stairs down were more of a challenge. He found himself sitting on the edge of the steps and like a two year old afraid of heights, he scooted himself down. Slowly. One. Step. At. A. Time.

By the time he made it to the bottom he was ready to collapse and sleep. RoaneG was right, even if she did release him, he wouldn't make it long on his own. He was too weak. Not strong enough. Not enough energy. But he wouldn't let them handcuff him again.

He forced himself up and prepared another speech in his head as he made it to the sitting room, he struggled to find the light switch. He froze before he could. He heard someone panting and a whimper tossed in here and there. Forgetting the switch he made it around the couch and he found RoaneG. Her eyes were closed, but she shuddered and shivered. A wet sheen of sweat covered her body.

He stared in horror, in the dim light he could see bumps rising up the skin on her arms and face. He didn't dare get too close, "RoaneG?"

She swallowed and opened her eyes, "Is Abel okay?"

Atheyr stared, "I don't know, where is he?"

"Abel-" She whimpered. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out, chills continued to rack her body, but she couldn't answer him. He didn't want to leave her like that, but it worried him that RoaneB was no where in sight.

He didn't think about how easy it would be for him to get away now. Because she was still right, even if she was unconscious, Atheyr was too weak to try to avoid the Katharisei on his own. And if RoaneB and RoaneG were dead, his chances of fighting back would be incredibly low. He looked in the other rooms for RoaneB, but found no trace of the young man. One last door led him to the bathroom and of course that's where he lay. RoaneB shuddered and gagged, in the middle of his own wheezing fit. Sweat covered his body and pus filled boils already covered his body. _Dammit. _

Not for a moment did he doubt it. Of course it was the virus they gave him. Atheyr remembered Leera, she was a pure human. Atheyr wondered if Dr. Roane and Vermaak knew their proteges were descended from the Flesh. One thing Atheyr knew for sure, RoaneG and RoaneB had no idea.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 DNA

Atheyr found something to nibble on, something to get his strength back. He had a long and tedious night ahead of him. He found clean clothes (That were too big and baggy) to cover up his wounds, rubber gloves, a mask and a hair net. He covered his entire body, he did not want to catch that virus again. Unfortunately there had only been a single syringe of antidote and with the Roane twins being New-Humans meant they had less time to live.

Atheyr could make the antidote, maybe even a better version than the one they had given him. It did help that RoaneG had a wonderful chemistry set in the kitchen and anything she didn't have, Atheyr easily improvised and then he nearly burst into song when he found his Sonic Screwdriver tucked away in a drawer. It wouldn't be too hard to reverse the virus, he just hoped that the twins lived that long.

Withdrawing a sample of his antibodies wasn't a pleasant experience and he worried about slowing down the healing of his own wounds. But boils had taken over RoaneG's face. She struggled to breathe, she had quickly developed pneumonia. RoaneB's heart was failing. _Hold on, Hold on, _Atheyr chanted in his mind. He could save them, he knew he could. He just had to find the gene that held the record of Flesh. Atheyr found it incredibly hard to believe that a stabilized Flesh form would have such a gene, but that's what Dr. Vermaak said. The virus identifies who is Flesh or who had any relations to the Flesh at all.

"No." He whispered.

As Atheyr searched through the twins' blood cells for that single gene within their DNA strands, he found what he was looking for. But it wasn't some absurd proof that a stabilized New-Human held a gene record for the Flesh.

"No- but how?"

Atheyr looked over to RoaneG and RoaneB. They shuddered and shivered, trapped in decaying bodies and Atheyr looked back into the microscope. He pursed his lips and focused in on the third helix that so descriptively hid itself behind the second. Any biochemist, biologist, Genealogist would have have said RoaneG and RoaneB were human. They would not have been able to catch that third strand. But Atheyr knew it by heart, even if it appeared to be human, Atheyr could tell.

He looked back over at RoaneG and RoaneB and suddenly everything clicked.

Atheyr sat in a chair by the large queen sized bed. Moving the two occupants there from the couch and bathroom had been a nightmare and blood soaked through various wounds that littered his body. He wanted to relax and sleep, but he couldn't. He didn't want to dream again and despite RoaneG and RoaneB's illnesses, they needed to have a long talk.

The boils had to be drained and that's what really wore him out. He thought he patched them up well despite his own wounds. All of the soiled bandages and sheets hand been shoved into the house's incinerator. Atheyr made sure this virus would not be spread by him, or the twins he suddenly felt responsible for.

His eyelids were just threatening to close when RoaneG moaned. She sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed. Atheyr was incredibly jealous of that bed. His upstairs felt like it belonged in a prison. RoaneG's movements roused RoaneB from his sleep. He opened one eyelid then closed it again.

"Five more minutes." He muttered before springing up. He grimaced at the gravity tugging on the wounds and he lifted up his arms to inspect them.

RoaneG was the first to notice Atheyr and she flinched when she caught his eye.

"What-are? How did-? What's going on?"

RoaneB flinched, mirroring RoaneG's action perfectly, "Hang on". His eyebrows pulled together. "I remember being in the bathroom." He put a hand to his chest, "Everything hurt...well hurts. But I was hot and the cold floor felt good."

RoaneG and RoaneB looked at each other. They gulped and looked back at the weary Atheyr. "What happened?" They asked simultaneously.

Atheyr straightened himself on the chair, took a deep breath, "You caught the virus."

RoaneG shook her head at this, "No we aren't Flesh, we don't come from Flesh. Grandfather wouldn't have kept us around."

Atheyr took another deep breath and the twins stared at him nervously, "There's something you need to know about the virus."

They didn't speak, they just waited for him to continue. Their eyes were wide with utter shock and denial.

He had thought through how he would say these words, but it didn't make them any easier to come. "The virus is unable to detect the Flesh Gene. Essentially there's no such thing as a 'Flesh Gene' that's the whole point of the Flesh. Once a New-Human becomes stabilized there is no way to find out if they were Flesh. The Flesh is so perfect that once stabilized it doesn't leave any evidence of being Flesh. Well except for one thing, but you can't prove it or use it to identify someone as being from the Flesh.

He took another deep breath, their blank stares bored into his mind as he rambled away, "Do you know what 20-Hydroxyecdysone?"

RoaneB found his voice first, "Of course its the hormone that causes molting in insects, what's it to do with us?"

"That hormone is able to change gene expression. A life-form has one appearance but with 20-Hydroxyecdysone it causes it to change. Metamorphosis. Like wise there is a specific gene that influences the Hydroxyecdysone-regulated chromosomes. And that's what the virus attacks."

RoaneB shook his head, "What?"

"Hydroxyecdysone-regulated chromosomes is a form of shape shifting. The Flesh can shape shift into whatever Molecular structure you want it to. The trace it leaves behind is a Hydroxyecdysone locked in stasis in your cells. Humans don't usually get it and the virus won't be able to detect it in New-Humans because it's locked in stasis, its not active. Destabilized Fleshkind have it and various other species in the universe get it too."

"So the virus works to get rid of aliens but does nothing for New-humans?" RoaneG confirmed, "But if the virus attacked us then we're aliens. But not New-Humans?"

"What the hell are we then?" RoaneB whispered.

"You're not all alien." Atheyr told them, "But somewhere along your genealogy you picked up Time Lord DNA."

"What?"

"How?"

They were on the verge of panicking, Atheyr could see it. He fought to keep his breathing under control. "You see Time Lords have many unique abilities. One of them is the ability of shape shifting, metamorphosis, whatever you want to call it. We can...rewrite our physiology, its not too different from Flesh kind, however it is a less permanent venture."

RoaneB shook her head, "No, Grandfather would have known."

RoaneG paled, "Or maybe he wanted to protect us?"

"By raising us in the very Facility with _her? _Where they torture and experiment on things like _Her? _Why? Why didn't he experiment on us?" RoaneB demanded.

RoaneG looked away from him.

Atheyr sat forward, "Who is this _her_?"

RoaneG didn't look up but RoaneB did, his face was hard and he was bristling with fury, "Her name is Laryn, the pregnant ginger haired one. Our most hated enemy, the one we don't care about if she suffers, if her daughter gets this disease and if her lover Romel dies in agony."

"What?"

"Laryn is our Time Lord Expert." RoaneB explained, "We got the Artron energy from her, because she is a Time Lord."

Atheyr stared at him, it was his turn to be surprised. He didn't want to believe it. But here he was, and the Doctor was so wrong about being the last of his kind. Atheyr was scared to death that he'd wake up from another bad dream, and he would be alone again in the universe.

"But I think," RoaneB continued, "I think Laryn might be our Mum."

"No!" RoaneG yelled. "She can't be."

"Why not?" Atheyr asked gently.

RoaneG looked at him, tears filled to the rim in her bloodshot red eyes, trying desperately not cry. "Because she killed our parents. My father and my mother and I watched her do it!"

After a deep breath and without waiting for the question, RoaneG launched into the explanation. Atheyr was surprised by how quickly the memory over took her. He knew she know longer saw the room, her brother or her successful experiment.

Her emotionless voice grew colder and colder with each sentence, "She broke into our house. Dad was reading me a story. He pushed me to the floor, told me to hide under the bed. And she killed him first." RoaneG winced. "Her hands went to his head and blood leaked from his nose, ears and eyes. She did the same to Mum. She let Mum bleed out into the tub. Mum was giving Abel a bath. Abel was in a tub filled with Mum's blood." RoaneG looked back at Atheyr. "Grandfather came then saved us and he devoted his life to hunting down that woman and making her pay. And forcing her to repay our world with her blood.

"We have to bring the judgment to people like her...I wouldn't even count her as a person...Let alone the possibility of being my...my mother." RoaneG looked like she was about to be sick, "She's a monster and if we can use her blood to save other people...then what we are doing to her is okay and is giving her more mercy than she deserves."

"RoaneG-"

"You are looking for justice, so are we."

"RoaneG, if this was just about her that would be one thing. But its not. The Facility is breeding Time Lords for experimentation. I'm the last of my kind, or so I thought. My people is gone." The words hurt him more than the ten inch wound on his back. "I will do anything to protect what is left. Even if they are a killer of killers. Mad, insane psychopaths. I can't let this continue. I _can't._ I'm sorry what she did to you and I'll make sure it never happens again. But please, I have to protect my people."

Atheyr took in a shuddering breath. _My people_ he never thought he'd be able to say that again and he hoped that when they found out the truth about what he did to their home, they would forgive him. But from the look of murder on RoaneG's face. That pure hatred of the one who killed her parents, he doubted this Laryn would forgive him. But he had to try. To be the last of your kind was hell.

RoaneG shook her head. "Not Laryn...Reilly, Zanna, Leera, sure I'll help, but never Laryn."

"If not for Laryn, her unborn child." Atheyr tried once more.

Hate and fury mixed in swirling storm, but the unborn baby. It wasn't Laryn's fault for that, not the baby's fault. She struggled to save that hate for Laryn and not for that baby. Could she stow it away long enough to rescue _Laryn? _

"I don't know." She hastily said, she stood up on wobbly legs and leaned against the wall to support herself. "I need fresh air, I can't think-, I don't know." She hastily made it to the door and left.

Atheyr turned his attention to RoaneB.

"Stop it," He told Atheyr.

"What?"

"I-I didn't see what she did. When we were kids and Mum and Dad died. I don't remember sitting in a tub full of blood."

"What do you remember?" He asked calmly.

"Before that day. I remember Laryn baby-sitting us sometimes. She was good friends with Dad. A trusted member of the family. But I suppose it makes sense."

"What does?"

RoaneB looked up, "The reason she killed Mum and Dad. It's the only explanation I can think of. She must have had an affair with Dad, gave birth to us, Mum and Dad must have stolen us from her and that's why she killed them."

"We don't know that for sure. There's still the chance that Laryn is not your mother."

"What else explains our Time Lord DNA?"

"You said Laryn is a pure Time Lord...?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You would have more apparent Time Lord traits. You're not even half-Time Lords. Closer to 1/8th. Its impossible for your parent to be a full Time Lord, more I'd say, your great grandmother or father would have been full Time Lord."

"Grandfather is human." RoaneB said with certainty.

"But what about your Grandmother?"

"Her name was Jenny and we never knew her."

Atheyr's blood went cold. Again. It couldn't be, Jenny died. A long time ago and a long way away. Four thousand years from now. No way it could be the same.

"She was my Father's Mother. But I can't remember what Dad said about her. I know he said something, but I don't remember. I have flashes of memory and images but I can't remember their voices." RoaneB watched Atheyr as an idea flashed across his mind. "What?"

Atheyr pursed his lips, he didn't like what he, himself was thinking, "Maybe someone tampered with your memories."

RoaneB shook his head, he didn't want to think about it and he quickly changed the subject, "I'll help you get them out. There are too many questions and I think Laryn is the key to them."

It worked and Atheyr gave a ghost of a smile, "Thank you."

"We just need to give Aisha time. She'll come around. I know she will."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Healing Takes Time

When RoaneG came back inside she was blue. She didn't have to go far to find Abel and Montmore. They were in the sitting room, waiting for her and eating omelets. She had prepared for the decision, about rescuing her parents' murderer and she came in to them eating.

Abel handed her a plate, her own omelet sat there, waiting. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she took a bite. It was good and hot and had mushrooms and peppers and cheese and meat and all sorts of goodies she didn't realize they had stocked up.

"I did not know you could cook, Montmore," She spoke, her voice light hearted despite the shocking news he had delivered barely an hour ago.

"Of course I can cook. I learn from the best."

"I wish Abel could cook, save a lot of time and hassle."

"Anyone can learn how to cook, I'll teach you." Atheyr told RoaneB with a smile.

RoaneB looked like a deer caught in the headlights and he quickly shook his head.

"No way, I'll believe it when I see it...and taste it." RoaneG disagreed.

Abel shrugged, "What can I say? Its a gift."

"What is?" Atheyr asked.

"The ability to transform food into purple toxin." RoaneG answered as she took the last bite of of her omelet. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"Paris, 18th century." He did not miss the amused look RoaneG and RoaneB shared.

When they finished they tied up the kitchen and dishes without a word. It helped that the plates and utensils were disposable. Afterward they found themselves back in the sitting room. Sitting. The tension was palpable and the boys' eyes were on RoaneG. Her eyes pointed down. She took a deep breath and looked up, not at Atheyr but to her brother.

"I'm going to help, even Laryn. But not for Laryn, for her baby. Abel, we're Time Lords! And we've been helping torture our own _kind_. Earth is our home just as much as the New-Humans and old-humans alike."

"Once we start this we can't go back. Its not just Plymouth, but all the others too. We can't let the Katharisei Facilities continue." RoaneB answered back.

RoaneG's gaze finally turned to Atheyr, "If we get rid of Dr. Vermaak most of the facilities will fade away. A lot of them are fueled by his threats to the workers. There will be others to stop. This is just the beginning. We're going to need a home base. And help, lots of help, we won't get this done on our own...Montmore?" She asked when Atheyr suddenly stood. When he didn't speak she stood up, followed by RoaneB and they followed his gaze.

Standing by the wall was the Ghost.

RoaneB caught his breath and RoaneG gasped. The Ghost's face remained solemn. She walked around them and stood by the antique Telly by the wall in front of them. She set her transparent hand on top of the old machine and it sputtered to life.

The snow and static filled the audio and screen but slowly the Ghost's face formed onto the screen. When her mouth moved the Telly's audio synched a voice with a thick American accent.

"You won't be in this alone. I can help."

"What are you?" Atheyr asked.

Both the Ghost and the image on the screen turned and locked eyes with Atheyr.

"My name is Uxia and my consciousness is tapped into Earth's radio waves. I'm still learning how to manifest my form. While they experimented on their subjects, I experimented on their scientists."

"We're going to get the others out." Atheyr told her.

"I know, that's why I waited for you."

"You knew I was coming?"

"Of course, I've waited four hundred years for this."

"Someone has sent you to me?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"I cannot say."

Atheyr gritted his teeth, "Why not?"

"Spoilers." Her expression gave nothing away.

"River sent you?" Atheyr didn't hesitate to use her name.

"No. Listen now is not the time for Q and A. All three of you are tired and ill. You need to rest. In three days time we will go. By then everything will be in place."

"What will?" He was getting tired of standing and he knew Uxia was right, but he HATED waiting.

"Our plan for getting the others out. In three days I'll meet you at the Facility. You can count on me to get you in unseen. Be there at six hundred hours, the south entrance." With that the telly cut out and the Ghost dissolved into nothingness.

The three eyed each other. Three days. Three boring days. But-, "She's right, we need to rest. I need to rest I need a nap. I'm desperate for one. And I'm not going back upstairs, so either give me one of the rooms down here or move off that couch."

RoaneG nodded as she moved from the couch. RoaneB did the opposite and sat down. "You can have my bed."

Atheyr muttered a thanks and sauntered off to that room. He was so ready for sleep.

**He was led into a sanctuary where in the center there was a large vat, filled with bubbling milky liquid.**

"**And there you are." The Doctor whispered. **

**The room blurred in out out of focus, there was something else, something else was happening. The Doctor's vision vanished, but he could hear Cleaves speaking. **

**"Meet the government's worst kept secret. The Flesh. It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at the cellular level."**

**The Doctor couldn't move, he couldn't see, he couldn't feel, as if his whole body became pins and needles and he couldn't move, he heard Amy, brilliant Amy.**

**"Right. Brilliant. Lost."**

"**Okay." Cleaves was speaking again, The Doctor was desperate to open his eyes, but he couldn't. And no on noticed how much the Doctor suffered, trying to speak, trying to see, trying to move trying to ask for help, "Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into anything. Replicate a living organism down to the hairs on its chinny chin chin. Even clothes. And everything's identical. Eyes, voice.**

**The room came back into focus, the Doctor hadn't moved much, he was standing over it, over the vat of flesh and he finished Cleaves' sentence, "Mind, soul?"**

**Cleaves rolled her eyes, "Don't be fooled, Doctor. It acts like life but it still needs to be controlled by us, from those harnesses you saw."**

**Both Amy and Rory looked alarmed, maybe Amy thought she was real...The Doctor wasn't sure, he had other things to worry about when Rory said in a near panic, "Wait, whoa. Hold it. So, you're Flesh now?"**

**Cleaves tilted her head towards the harness room, "I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber. We all are, except Jennifer here. Don't be scared. This thing, just like operating a forklift truck."**

**"You said it could grow. Only living things grow." The Doctor argued back, the Doctor, he always fought for life. Always.**

**Cleaves countered his cause for life with, "Moss grows. It's no more than that. This acid is so dangerous we were losing a worker every week. So now we mine the acid using these doppelgangers. Or Gangers. If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid-"**

**A short dark haired man in the back said, "Then who the hell cares, right, Jen?"**

**Jennifer, her form shifted, but no one else seemed to notice as she explained about how the nerve endings automatically cut off. It didn't matter, it was all a lie, the Doctor knew. The room shifted again, tempting to go wrong again. The Doctor moved shifted, turned his head towards the bubbling flesh, and listened. The Flesh listened back. The Doctor nearly jumped in surprise and pulled out the Sonic. Cleaves had just ordered Jennifer into her own Ganger when the Doctor scanned the Flesh. The short dark haired man called him out on it. **

**There was no way he could divide his attention now. His hand shook as little psychic tendrils climbed up his arm. They touched and scanned him and clawed into his mind. With a hand on his torso to steady himself, the Doctor ordered the tendrils to stop it. The tendrils didn't listen and the Doctor had to pull back the sonic, breaking the connection. **

"**Strange." He muttered, "It was like for a moment there it was scanning me." His eyes were locked with the gooey substance. He knew this was probably a bad idea and that it would most certainty hurt. But it was important, this is why they were here.**

"**Doctor." Cleaves warned, sensing what he was about to do.**

**He ignored the woman gently placed his hand on the surface of the goo. "Gah!" The psychic tendrils held him in place. They snaked up his arm and he could feel them covering his body and reaching into his mind. The Doctor wasn't fast enough to pull up his mental defenses and they were there in his mind, reading him, scanning him all the while screaming in his mind, begging, crying, weeping. His face scrunched up in pain as they asked him for help.**

**"Get back, Doctor. Leave it alone!" Cleaves ordered.**

**The world turned upside down and the Doctor could not see a thing. He couldn't see, but he felt, he felt that hand, that pressure over him, covering him. He felt the mental door ways open and he climbed in and he could speak and he had a voice and he spoke back. And then he saw inside that mind, opened to him. He saw himself standing there and in that moment the door shut and the Doctor was cut off and thrown back into the pit. **

**The Doctor saw himself and felt himself see him. He could see both perspectives of both men of both Doctors staring at each other. He felt his own surprise and the surprise of the other, of the Flesh looking back and his own reflection he saw in his mind made him pull away. He stumbled back, with his hand slimy, "I understand." He took a deep breath of air. He didn't hear her speak, he was too wound up in the thoughts of the Flesh to listen to anything else. He could still hear them crying in his mind. "Incredible. You have no idea. No idea. I mean, I felt it in my mind. I reached out to it, and it to me."**

**"Don't fiddle with the money, Doctor."**

**The Doctor glared at Cleaves, "How can you be so blinkered? It's alive. So alive. You're piling your lives, your personalities directly into it."**

**The light and sight and everything was gone again, but the Doctor felt a surge of energy run through him and he screamed. His scream echoed around the sanctuary and pounded against his skull with each clash of thunder. He closed his mouth because it was being filled with pasty glue. He half swam, half clawed at the glue until he felt the edge of the tub. He pulled himself up, but before his head surfaced, he fell back under. He gurgled, his last bit of air escaped to the surface, he didn't have the energy to fight anymore. The paste was in his mouth, ears, nose, lungs and it filled his stomach. It was hard to differentiate himself from the gooey gunge.**

**A loud high-pitched buzzing shifted over his head, above the surface of the bath, it reminded him not to give up. It reminded him that he was more than just gunge, he was alive and he could hear and feel. The Doctor pushed himself up. He gasped for air as his lips broke the surface. But the buzzing sound had vanished along with footsteps. The Doctor croaked out, "Trust me."**

**He sank to the bottom of the tub, but the air had cleared his mind and he scrunched down and pushed himself up. His head and shoulders broke the surface and he threw his arms over the edge of the tub so that he wouldn't slide back. He held on with numb arms. The cool air was harsh and only made the pins and needles harder to bear. It felt like a thousand needles were being pressed into his body. It dulled everything else, made it hard to keep his head upright. But he didn't want to fall back into the gunge. He wanted to live, he didn't want to be thrown away like the others. He didn't want to die, to feel death. **

**He didn't want to die. So he climbed out of the vat. He came crashing down to the hard stone. His flesh pulsed and wobbled like jelly. He struggled to his feet. But his head...it was filled with so many impossible things, he cried out. He heard someone coming. He pulled himself to a pillar, he climbed to his feet and reached out for her. **

"**Trust me." He whispered to her. He tried to ask for help, but she limped away.**

**The Doctor closed his eyes, he had been stabilized, why was he melting? He looked up and there before him was a monster. Lights and sirens assaulted his senses, but he held out the sonic. **

"**Geronimo!" **

**The monster disintegrated and the Doctor felt every atom and molecule in his body pull apart. He was nothing but a pool of flesh, surrounded by Cleaves and Jennifer. But even as the acid came for their liquid state, something amazing happened. Cleaves and Jennifer surrounded him, cuddled him. While the acid burned their flesh into crystals, they tried to keep him safe. Their beloved Doctor. The acid reached Atheyr, burning most of him up, but Cleaves and Jennifer saved him, just a little puddle in a crystal bowl.**

**Atheyr woke up, so utterly relieved that what he'd seen and felt was only a memory, or a dream or a dream of a memory. And thank Rassilon he didn't have to go through that again. Atheyr looked around, he couldn't see. He struggled to keep himself calm, he couldn't feel either, in fact all of his senses were missing, the only thing he seemed to be capable of was thinking. He couldn't breathe, or at least he couldn't feel himself breathing. ****_I must still be asleep _****He whispered to himself in his mind, hoping so much that was the case. Because if this was all real and the only thing he could do now was think without moving or hearing or speaking or all the other things that one does while alive...it would drive him mad. And he'd go mad much faster in comparison to being trapped in the Pandorica...because at last with that scenario he could move and speak and feel...It would drive him mad...but not as quickly as being completely rendered paralyzed with nothing but thoughts. And with thoughts alone how soon would he begin to live his memories? And while yes he did have good memories he had so many other bad memories. How soon would it be before he created his own world within his mind? While that doesn't seem too bad, he wouldn't be able to fool himself forever. Though...would it be so bad to just dream life away? He could make so nothing bad ever happened. **

"**ARRRRRRRRRRG" **

**He didn't know where the sound came from, but the sudden realization that he could actually hear again filled him with elation. And so he stilled his thoughts and listened. **

**Beep...beep...beep...beep. Step, clink, step, clink. Badada, Badada, Badada, Badada. Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip, Drop. Drip, Drip, Drop. Hevesevevah. Cheyayyiv. **

**Sounds! Sounds were filling his mind. He couldn't discern them well. He couldn't tell where they came from. The first sound was undoubtedly electronic. The second sounded like footsteps. The third sounded like drumming and the third was the drips of something liquid and the last sounds were...speaking. Atheyr couldn't recognize it, couldn't make out the words. But it was something and with time. Oh Rassilon! Time would reveal what it all meant. **

"**GAAAAH!"**

**That sound! Again that sound. Then Atheyr felt it. Pain, he could feel it. He couldn't tell where it came from or where it hurt. But it was there, interrupting the inner workings of his thoughts. **

"**HAAAAH!" **

**The pain was getting worse and he felt all of his thoughts and memories draining away. Until it stopped. **

"**HWAAAAAAAH" **

**It hurt, everything hurt! He still couldn't see. But everything felt wrong! It was as if he felt everything at once. His skin felt rough and he could barely move. His bones felt twisted and warped. It felt as if every one of his nerves were exposed to the air and it hurt and he screamed and his screams hurt him. And it last for so long. When at last his hearts, he felt them, stiff and tight and pain and then it was over. **

**He woke up and then went to sleep over and over but he knew that he wasn't ever really awake. He was dreaming, this world was too terrible to be real. But to wake up again and again within the dreams over and over. It was terrible and it wouldn't ever end. **

**Then Theta opened his eyes. His breath caught as he found himself in a cage! A terrible glass cage! It reflected a young man he didn't recognize. A young man with a long fringe and green eyes and pale skin. He blushed when he realized he was naked. He saw people on the other side of the glass, watching him. With terrible silver eyes that wouldn't look away! How rude! **

"**Let me out!" He demanded.**

**The people looked confused. **

**He pounded on the glass, desperate to find a way out. Then he realized, the truth of course, he was in lab and he was being experimented on. **

**"This is unlawful!" He shouted. "Its against President Rassilon to experiment on Time Lord minors! I want my Mum and Dad! Let me out!" He screamed. But they stared and didn't listen. Theta looked around the lab, from what he could see. There were words and foreign lettering. It was English. He could recognize a few of the symbols and while he had an interest in primitive languages they didn't offer it at the Prydonian Chapter. **

"**My Mum and Dad will stop you!" He shouted at them, he shied away at his reflection, showing him an image of an adult rather than the twelve year old he knew he was. He tried to remember how he got there. What had happened? The day before he remembered visiting Koschei...Or was that a year ago? **

**He was panicking. He was lost and alone and his head wouldn't stop hurting. If they wouldn't let him out, he'd break out. So he stood up and pounded onto the glass over and over and over. Until his hands were dripping with orange blood and finally until cracks appeared. One last thump had him tumbling through the glass and onto the floor. The glass broke his skin and the floor was hard and jarred his head. **

"**Susan?" The Doctor asked. "Where's Susan, where's my granddaughter?" He asked the scientists. He looked back at the broken glass cage. Vaguely remembering that he thought he was still a child, but now clearly remembering taking Susan with him. There was something else. A girl she told him to take the other Tardis. Why did she do that? Why didn't she stop him from thieving that old box and running away?**

**"No...wait...where's Susan?" He asked the nearest Scientist.**

"**Susan?" A young man asked nervously. **

"**My granddaughter!? What have you done with her?"**

"**I...She...um..You..." He looked back to an older man. **

**The Doctor climbed to his feet and stumbled towards the older man who was clearly in charge. But before he made it to him he put a hand to his head and yelled. **

"**What's happening? Sarah? Where are you-? GAAAAH!" He fell to his knees as faces fought for the front of his mind. A thousand faces. A girl, Rose! Rose looked back at him, her eyes dark, almost cruel, whispering into his ear "No more"**

**The Doctor couldn't take it! The memories the faces they were eating away at him, burning him, melting down. He looked and he was on the floor, in a puddle of his own flesh. He looked up into the silver eyes of a girl. **

"**What have you done to me?"**

"**I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry." She whispered. "Just sleep, it'll be over soon."**

Atheyr gently opened his eyes. It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings. It took him a moment to realize he was awake. Awake for sure this time...or at least not caught up in the past. His body still ached from wounds littering his body. Suddenly he was very angry, he had failed to remain in the healing coma. Sluggishly he made himself get up and wander into the sitting room. He found it dark and quiet, RoaneB snored loudly on the couch. Atheyr glared at him before he sauntered off to the kitchen. He turned the light on and then dug through RoaneG's bag. He had fumbled across them earlier when he was working to save their lives. But because of the crisis he ignored them. He couldn't ignore them any longer and he pulled out the eleven folders.

He sped read them, finishing all thick eleven folders just under fifteen minutes. He would have finished sooner, but with each page a headache thumped inside his head in complaint. He was tired, he had his own wounds that needed to heal. But that only encouraged him to find out the truth. The dreams he'd had, were they just dreams? No of course not, they couldn't be. The first part of his dream had been a memory, the Doctor's memory of how his double had been created. And the second part of his dream, the screaming part...what if that was based off of memory too? What if he was remembering his failed resurrections. The Roane twins had said that he was the eleventh attempt after all. There was another thing...maybe he wasn't a successful resurrection after all. If he was he would be deep in a healing coma instead of being haunted by nightmares. He should have stayed in the coma...But as he closed the eleventh folder, he was convinced that he had found the truth.

"Montmore?"

Atheyr jumped in surprise and stood up. He was so lost in his own thoughts he didn't notice RoaneB coming in. "What?" He growled angrily.

"It's two in the morning, you shouldn't be up."

"I'm a Time Lord, I don't need as much sleep as you do."

"I'm part Time Lord, but that's irrelevant, we both should be asleep. We're both getting over a super virus that's meant to kill Time Lords."

Atheyr glared at him but RoaneB stood his ground and then he saw his sister's journals. "Those aren't yours."

"They might as well be. They're all about me."

"Okay...then...find anything useful?"

"You experimented on me."

"Yes. We tried to bring you back and we succeeded."

Atheyr shook his head. "All you've done is made a copy of a copy and you screwed it up. You rewrote my molecular structure. That's why I came back without my clothes and that's why I can't sleep..."

"We didn't rewrite everything. You have to understand, when we found you...your flesh remains, it was just but a few drops, enclosed in more flesh that had been crystallized. When we analyzed it, we could see that it was trying to repair itself, you said yourself that it was the proximity of the Artron Energy residue. It kept your structure intact. Either way your structure was in very bad shape. We had to recreate the old Flesh prototype and implant it to the original and there were holes in the structure as well. In the end we were able to rewrite the structure enough to have you growing and coming back. Aisha had planned to rewrite the structure capable for the most recent Flesh type, but now with everything, we know that's not going to happen."

"How can you only 'partially' rewrite my molecular structure?"

"Aisha was able to determine the difference between things like clothing and biological molecules. The point is, that we cut out the molecular memory of your clothes from the original structure...that's why you didn't come back with them. In fact that's the only way we were able to successfully bring you back. That's all we did. I swear."

"I read about my failed resurrections."

RoaneB winced. "I'd hoped you hadn't...Do you remember it?"

"No."

RoaneB sighed in relief, "It was the failures that made Aisha join the project."

"How nice of her." He said with a grumble.

"Would you rather us to have failed? You wouldn't be here and Aisha and I would have died when they released the virus. We would have never of known the truth. I'm sorry that we conducted illegal experiments and I'm sorry that you suffered and the others suffer. I'm going to make it up by trying to save them. And I hope you can forgive us for what was done to you. Because as far as we know, you're our only family left." With that RoaneB turned and went back to the couch.

Atheyr sighed. Maybe he was just a fake, just a copy of a copy. But he was a Time Lord now, or maybe just part Time Lord. But he had something RoaneB and RoaneG didn't have and that was memories and knowledge. They'd be lost without him and with that on his mind he forgave them and he went back to bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 The Plan

The next morning came quickly and by six am Atheyr was up, showered and forcing on RoaneB's too small scrubs. RoaneG failed to stifle the laugh that escaped her mouth when she came into the kitchen. She wasn't surprised to see him cooking and making tea. She did find RoaneB tiredly messing around with his phone.

"Shut up, it you're fault for not bringing clothes for me."

"Its still funny."

Atheyr glared before he turned back to the oatmeal he stirred. "You can still be laughing when you pay for my clothes."

"What?"

"The ghost gave us three days to prepare for a rescue. Yes we need to heal from our near death experiences. But we can do that and shop a bit. RoaneB already printed out passports for each of our rescue-ees. How's the lorry coming along?

Hover-van has been rented and is ready to go. We just have to go pick it up."

"Good, So miss sleep in, you need to figure out a place for us to go and for the others to rest until we can figure out what to do with them."

"We cou-"

"Don't say bring them back here." Atheyr snapped as he dished out the oatmeal and set it in front of them.

"Why not?"

He sat down with his own bowl before he answered here, "Because we've been here too long already and we have another two days here. I expect that this place will be discovered shortly after we leave on the third day."

"How can you know that?"

"Instinct. So its your job to think of a place. And pay for my new clothes. I vote we leave after we clean up breakfast."

"You can't go out in public."

"And why not?"

"You'll be recognized."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you were on telly last week." RoaneB answered.

"What?"

"A spaceship nearly collided with the Earth and low and behold there was a blue box zooming about. Someone at the Unit base in India leaked a video of you and Queen Nefertiti talking with the base commander."

"What was I doing with an Egyptian queen?"

"God knows. But I know that you'd be recognized."

"That's why you said I was obsessed with the Doctor back when we escaped and the officer."

"That's right."

"Well I'll take the risk, I need proper clothes."

RoaneG argued with him for another fifteen minutes but in the end gave up. Despite her warning that it was a bad idea, Atheyr would not back down.

"We can just order it off of RoaneB's phone."

"I need fresh air." Atheyr finally admitted. "I've been indoors too long and our escape does not count. I was drugged through most of that."

"Fine."

And that's how their day began.

They took the public transportation into the shopping centre and Atheyr realized where they were staying. Olde London. Well London, but not London, It had been flooded and decimated, but sentimental humans decided to build up and over the ruins. Humans found it hard to come up with new names for places. Like New York...like New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York.

The trip went without incident and Atheyr managed to find some decent clothes in a charity shop. RoaneG laughed at him, saying "You choose old man, torn up ancient clothes when we have plenty of money..."

"Bow ties are cool."

"Yeah, but you're painting a bulls eye right around your neck.."

"Retro clothes always have a comeback."

"Retro would refer to something fifty years ago. That outfit is nearly four hundred years old."

"They're still selling them and I'm still wearing them."

RoaneG found it best just to give up.

At noon they ended up at a fish and chips shop where they rendezvous with RoaneB. He dangled the keys in front of them as he announced that he has parked the hover-van in a hidden spot near the facility. After that he laughed at Atheyr's outfit. But Atheyr didn't care, his tweed, bow tie, trousers and boots made him feel more like himself. Half way through his usual comment of 'Bow ties are cool' He stood up suddenly, his face paling as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Montmore?" RoaneG asked like a concerned mother.

"Him." Was all that Atheyr could get out.

RoaneB stood after catching a glimpse of the man that Atheyr had seen.

"Franklin." RoaneB muttered and before Atheyr could protest he was out of his seat and out the door.

"RoaneG?" Atheyr whispered in warning and surprise has she followed her brother.

Atheyr quickly stifled his initial fear and went after them.

He found them behind the shop in a small alleyway. RoaneB had pinned Franklin up against the wall and RoaneG stole his phone out of his hand.

"You sniveling coward!" RoaneB yelled at Franklin and the man did cower.

"P-please!" He blubbered. "J-just l-let m-me g-go."

Atheyr slowly approached them, an involuntary shiver shimmied down his spine.

"Don't let him go, he'll tell them where we are!" RoaneG hissed at her brother.

"Of course that's what he'll do, I'm not an infant. He was about to call them." He nodded to the phone in RoaneG's hand.

"Who else knows you're here?" RoaneG shouted.

"All of them!" He shouted back. "And if I'm not back there in two days they'll take Gretchen and they'll kill me."

"Whose Gretchen?" Atheyr asked.

Franklin was on the verge of tears, "My wife. They took my baby because I wanted out and if I don't go back when I promised then they will take Gretchen too. They know I'm here. Because I'm visiting her, and this is where she works."

"We need to go, now!" RoaneG's voice near to panicking.

"We can't just let him go, he'll tell them where we are."

"Only in exchange for my daughter!" Franklin added in. "You're on the run, but what if your sister was still there? You'd do anything to get her back. And so will I, to save my little girl. I might be a coward. But I don't care if I die, I just want my family safe!"

Atheyr stepped up to RoaneB and pulled him away from Franklin. Franklin didn't move, suddenly terrified of the man he had spent years experimenting on.

"Tomorrow we're going back to save all of the prisoners stuck at the facility. If you help us, we will get your daughter back to you."

"R-r-really?"

"Yes. But please, you mustn't tell them where we are."

"Wait you're going back to the place of torture and death to save a bunch of strangers?"

"Yes." Atheyr told him. "And all the gallons of flesh that's being experimented on. I won't allow it to continue! I'll bring an end to this 'facility of cleansing'."

"I'll do whatever you want. I'll follow you, if you help me save my family."

"I will get her out."

"Okay...okay... What's the plan?"

The five of them found themselves back at RoaneG and RoaneB's 'safe house'. The Doctor rarely trusted that word and Atheyr felt just the same about it. Never trust something called a 'safe house'. It was just in the rules.

Dr. Franklin sat on one side of the sitting room, next to his wife Gretchen; while Atheyr and Roane B sat on the couch. It was RoaneG who nervously paced back and forth. Every now and then Dr. Franklin would turn to look look out of the curtained window. Gretchen looked nearly hysterical, she squeezed her husbands hands until they were chalk white.

RoaneG hated bringing them back here. She didn't trust either of them, but the feeling was mutual and tangible in the air. Atheyr was tempted to use his respiratory bypass, because of the mistrust that weighed the air.

"So we go in, rescue everyone." Atheyr continued with explaining the plan. "The children," He looked directly into Gretchen's eyes, "Laryn, the Flesh, everyone."

"You realize there are several gallons of flesh in there?" Dr. Franklin asked skeptically, as if he couldn't believe that the Doctor, or this Atheyr actually counted the Flesh as a part of 'everyone'.

Atheyr's responded with a glare, "In case you've forgotten, I came from Flesh." He snapped a finger as he pointed to RoaneB, "Didn't you mention Laryn had a lover who was Flesh?"

"Romel, but he died about six months ago."

"He didn't die, he melted back to Flesh." RoaneG corrected.

"Same thing." RoaneB argued.

"Maybe not. My molecular structure memory survived, maybe Romel can come back." Atheyr suggested.

"Laryn doesn't deserve her lover's return."

"We're getting off topic." Dr. Franklin intervened. "We can discuss morals when we have the time." He glanced at his wife before he looked back to Atheyr. "Are we really going to save the Flesh as well?"

"I thought you didn't want to have a talk about morals...But yes. Whatever you may think about the Flesh, it does have feelings. It doesn't like to be used, experimented on or decommissioned. It is in fact alive." Atheyr gave a look of absolute seriousness, but the other three weren't entirely convinced. Gretchen's face was neutral on the topic, her expression still retained her fear. Atheyr shook his head. "Ever watch Star Trek?"

RoaneB lifted up a hand as RoaneG scoffed at the sudden and unexpected change in conversation.

"Ever watch Deep Space 9? There was a character named Odo. I love that name...Odo. Makes me think of play-doh." Atheyr smiled with a short laugh.

"Odo was a changeling. Actually the show rather did inspire the idea for the creation of the Flesh. But then the government got involved and it all went a bit wrong." RoaneB explained. When the others stared at him he raised his hands in defense. "What? I like to read. Unless you to dolts forgot I did all the research and historical back ground for the Flesh. It was my thesis in Uni."

"Abel's good at research." RoaneG agreed, "But mostly its because he's a nerd."

"Oi!" RoaneB complained.

"You're my nerd, so its all okay."

"Alright back on topic." Atheyr pulled them back from their rabbit trail, "Dr. Franklin and RoaneB will collect the Flesh. RoaneG will guide me through the facility to rescue the others."

"I'm coming!" Gretchen nearly shouted, making Dr. Franklin jump.

Atheyr glanced at Dr. Franklin, his face was white as a ghost.

"We need you at the van, to ready it for the escape sequence." Atheyr told her.

Gretchen shook her head. "I've not seen my daughter in a year. An entire year, she's been stolen from me. I will not be left behind!"

"Smuggling four people into the facility is going to be tricky enough." RoaneB added. Its likely that our codes don't work."

"They've changed them. CCTV caught you starting a fire in the records room." Dr. Franklin confirmed, nodding to RoaneB.

"We've lost our way of getting in then." RoaneG sighed.

"What about you, Franklin?" Atheyr asked him, "They don't know you've gone rogue yet. They think you're on your break, visiting your wife, they don't expect you for another couple of days."

"My codes will work. I can easily spin a story of coming back early." He gave a nervous glance to his wife. Gretchen squeezed his hand and looked away, tears threatening to fall. "It isn't the first time my wife has kicked me out." He muttered and the others left him alone about it.

"Okay." Atheyr acknowledged, "So we have our plan, get in, get out. We've got our escape route. The next question is...where do we go?"

"We can come back here." RoaneG suggested, they don't know about this place.

"Don't be stupid." Dr. Franklin, RoaneB and Atheyr all said at once. Gretchen nodded in agreement.

"You've been in and out of this house...for how many days?"

"About a week." RoaneB supplied.

Atheyr wrinkled his brow at that, it felt much shorter to him.

"Then you have a week's worth of eye witnesses." Gretchen added. "The Facility won't leave us alone that easily, trust me I know. Even if you blew up the building, other facilities will track you down."

"So where do we go?" RoaneG asked, "Your place?"

Gretchen shook her head, "They'll realize straight away that my family is involved. So we mustn't go to any of my family's homes. Oh."

"No." Dr. Franklin shook his head.

"Oh? No? What?" Atheyr asked looking between them.

"He could help us." Gretchen turned to her husband.

"No, we can't trust him."

"He's a good man."

"He broke all of his promises to us and he didn't stop them from taking Leera."

"Who are you talking about?" Atheyr asked.

Gretchen looked back at him, "A friend of mine from Uni. He works with the government's military."

Atheyr shook his head. "That's all we need, soldiers and guns shooting everyone." He glanced at RoaneB and RoaneG to gauge their expressions. Their faces reflected pure horror.

"You can't involve the military!" RoaneG nearly cried. "They'll lock us up for high treason!"

"Not if they see you helping to end the Katharisei." Gretchen pressed.

RoaneG shook her head, "No, not if I'm on their records. We've done things. We've been a part of the Katharisei Facility for over eighteen years. They won't let us go just for a single act of betrayal. Not to mention...um..." She hesitated and looked at her brother then at Atheyr. She didn't say it, but she didn't have to. Now that she knew she wasn't full human, she, they, all of them could become experiments. "And the others, Zanna, Reilly, Laryn, it would be like...'Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire.' Its the worst possible thing that could happen."

"That settles it, we will not involve the military." Atheyr agreed.

"Then where will we go?" Gretchen asked.

Atheyr thought for a moment and then smiled, "How about Leadworth?"

With their plans worked through and beds set up, with bedding and blankets strewn about the place, RoaneG relinquished her bed for the couple and settled on the couch while RoaneB took to the floor. Atheyr offered his bed, but he declined. They all settled down for the night. It was well needed as RoaneG, RoaneB and Atheyr were still healing their wounds left by the virus. They were getting better, but Atheyr's lower back ached deeply from the massive hole left there.

As he laid down to sleep, he tried once more to make it into a much needed healing coma. And it worked...for the most part, by the time his hearts increased and sent him into REM sleep he had healed, leaving only large scars behind. But if it was up to Atheyr, he would have just skipped all of the dreams that quickly became nightmares.

_**The world was dark. The distant gray sky burned and the smell of burning plastic was overwhelming. The Doctor spun in a circle, trying to determine where he was and what had brought him to such a place. There were big black trees everywhere, they nearly blotted out the sky. The forest was cold. So much that the Doctor shivered. **_

_**A red glow immediately caught his attention. The glow became a light and the light became a figure with six large red wings. **_

"_**Who are you?" The Doctor asked her.**_

"_**Ktahv esodowi Ufi?" She repeated back to him.**_

_**He gawked at her and swallowed hard he got up the courage to ask, "Why are you here?"**_

"_**Nyem esodowi Ufi urush?"**_

_**The Doctor gritted his teeth, the six winged angel, the seraphim was speaking his own language. How could she know?**_

"_**Iposa." He whispered, afraid to speak that language again, how dare he? After all he had done to that world. He didn't have the right.**_

_**The seraphim glared at him and answered him in English, "I'll tell you, man of flesh. You are wrong and foolish. Why not let live the evil and suffer the innocent? No one is sinless, without blame. You are not the Doctor. But your fingers are stained in blood, redder than my feathers."**_

_**The Doctor shivered as he glanced down at his hands. They were drenched in blood, blood that poured from his chest. He gawked at the sight, a knife lodged deeply into his right heart. **_

"_**You missed the blade." The blood seraphim laughed as she stood over him. **_

_**The Doctor fell to his knees and then to his left side. He struggled to breathe and he choked in pain, blood filled his lungs and dripped down his chin. He looked into the seraphim's eyes, but a tearing sound diverted his eyes to the falling feathers that tore away from her back and fell into a bloody pile at her feet.**_

"**Ufi esodowi Fesmohl." She accused him. **

_**His hand shakily pressed against the bloody wound and remains of his slashed heart. He looked up at her. The guilt weighted with that statement in the language of his people was too much for him to bear. **_

"_**Sorsin." He whispered his apology, his hearts aching with more than just the pain of being impaled, but with the agony of knowing the truth. Everything was his fault. **_

"_**Ranta ufi lur!" She declared**_

"_**Ehfo!" The Doctor cried out, "Mosi, sorsin!" He begged her. He begged her not to take his soul. But she ignored his pleas and leaned over him. She withdrew the knife with one hand, but with the other she reached into the entry wound in his chest. The Doctor screamed, he could feel her hand grasping and wrenching at the remains of his heart. Finally the wingless seraphim pulled back. Her hand dripped with his blood, but it held onto a key. The key, the Key to his Tardis. **_

"_**Ehfo!" The Doctor cried weakly. His torn and broken body would not last long without his soul. **_

"_**Stop right there!" Declared an American accented voice, the mismatched green-blue-eyed girl appeared and she fought with the once-been seraphim, trying to get the Key, the Doctor's soul. **_

"_**That belongs to the Raggedy Doctor. Not to you sniveling echos." Yet another woman came into his line of sight. **_

"_**Amelia." the Doctor rasped. **_

"_**You have no claim to his soul. So release him!" She demanded. She strutted straight up to the demoted angel and took the Key from her hand. **_

"_**Thank you." the Doctor whispered and Amy turned back to him. His soul in her possession. **_

"_**They have no claim on your soul, no grudge...But I do. Why call yourself the Doctor? Don't you know what he did, what you did to me?"**_

_**The Doctor shook his head, trying to understand, but his mind failed to process the information as the horror played out before him. **_

"_**You sentenced me to death, Raggedy Man. So I pay you in return." With that she lifted her hand into the air and tipped her head back. She opened her mouth wide. **_

_**The Doctor struggled to pull himself up, to stop her from devouring his soul. He could not get up, all of his struggling proved only to drain him of his blood. He was dying. Amy dropped the key. Before she swallowed it, RoaneG snatched it out of the air. She raced back to The Doctor and set his soul into its place in his chest. "We have to get out of here!" RoaneG cried. **_

_**The Doctor's flesh healed with the returning of his soul. RoaneG helped him to his feet and they ran through the forest. RoaneG cried out and fell. The Doctor turned back to help her, but now there were roots and vines wrapping around her, dragging her back. The Doctor raced after her, trying to catch her hand. The vines were faster, they dragged her up against a tree, pulling her through it as if the bark was made out of play dough. It solidified by the time he reached her. Only her face was exposed. She looked out into the forest her eyes unseeing, expressionless and dead. **_

"_**RoaneG!" The Doctor cried. **_

"_**Aisha Roane has left the Library, Aisha Roane has been saved." **_

_**The Doctor staggered back. He knew what was behind him, he didn't want to look. He didn't want to see it. **_

"_**Spoilers" **_

_**The Doctor close his eyes and slowly opened them. He turned around and he saw her. River was sitting in that god-forsaken chair. **_

"_**Don't go River. Please." He begged her. River smiled with tears in her eyes. She connected to the mainframe and light exploded around her, then the scene froze. The Doctor was forced to gaze upon her frozen death. When he turned away from the horrific sight other voices took root, speaking all at once. A hundred voices matched a hundred faces that peered out from the trees. **_

"_**What is the point of you?"**_

"_**Can your conscience carry the weight of another dead race?"**_

"_**I want to stay. I can't go back. Don't make me go back. Doctor, please, please don't make me go back."**_

"_**You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around!"**_

"_**Grandfather! I belong with you!"**_

"_**No, but I spent all that time trying to find you. I'm not going back now."**_

_**The Doctor cried out to the mob of voices, "Stop this! Stop this please!" But the voices were cruel and did not stop.**_

"_**Doctor!"**_

_**The Doctor cried and covered his face with his hands. **_

"_**DOCTOR!" **_

_**A hand touched his back, making him turn and look though his fingers. A Weeping Angel stood before him, a communicator in it's hands.**_

"_**I died in fear. You told me my fear would keep me alive, but I died afraid, in pain and alone. You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down."**_

_**The Angel reached out and grabbed his shoulder, pressing on the bundle of nerves. The Doctor called out once more. **_

Atheyr woke up with a start. His hands quickly placed over his hearts, feeling for any tears or holes, but there weren't any. He sighed with a relief that quickly turned into a gag, there was something in his room. It stood by the door and it moved silently without making a sound. Atheyr cleared his voice and the thing stopped. When it turned to look at him, he could see her eyes glowing, one blue and one green.

"Why is it that when I have bad dreams its always you who wakes me up?" He panted in surprise.

The ghost Uxia shrugged. She pointed to her wrist, then held up her hand showing two fingers and lastly she motioned him towards her as if she wanted him to follow. She turned around and disappeared through the door.

"Time to go?" Atheyr asked the darkness. His internal time sense told him that it was about 4:30 in the morning. So he got up and dressed himself and made it out into the sitting room. The Roane twins were still sound asleep, but there was a light on in the kitchen. Atheyr found Gretchen in there, drinking a cup of tea.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked her. She nodded and poured him a cup. He added three cubes of sugar and a bit of milk. After stirring it a bit and tasting it once with his spoon he decided to add three more cubes. He sipped it with his spoon and scraped it at the bottom of the cup to get at the sugar and then crunched the sugar in his mouth.

Gretchen stared at him as he noisily drank his tea, "I suppose only a madman can make his tea crunch."

"You have to admit you'd have to be a genius to figure out a way."

"Its not proof enough." She shivered as she took her next sip.

"I'm going to get your daughter back for you." Atheyr told her.

"I know. But there are things you don't understand. Stopping the Plymouth's Facility won't be nearly enough to keep her safe, or to keep your new friends safe. They'll never stop hunting us now. They've got her DNA on records now. We'll have to run for the rest of our lives. My family is going to be in so much danger."

"I'll protect you."

"How? You don't have your Tardis."

"How do you know about that?"

Gretchen swallowed and looked away. "I just do. I'm going to take her to the military. Leera, once we have her. I don't care what Chris says or does. He can die for all I care. But the only ones who will be able to protect her is them."

"Chris?"

"My husband."

"You don't mean that."

"What?"

"You do care for him, you wouldn't want him to die."

"But I'll sacrifice him to keep Leera safe. Its his bloody fault."

"He got your family involved."

She nodded as tears streamed down her cheeks. She covered her hands with her cheeks, "But if he hadn't Leera would have...she would have...she'd been so sick. So they helped her, but then wouldn't let him go and when he left them they found us and took her too." She leaned into Atheyr as she cried and he held her.

"We'll find a way to keep her safe, we'll find a way to end the Katharisei. I swear it." He whispered into her hair. "Even if it means summoning the Doctor myself." He promised. After a moment longer of holding her, Gretchen quietly thanked him and washed the tears from her face. Atheyr stood when he saw the Ghost, Gretchen screamed and then everyone was awake.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Rescuing the Family

Together they took the public transit to Plymouth, but they separated and walked the last mile. Atheyr noticed the hover-van parked along the way and left Mrs. Franklin there. They met back up at the south side entrance and before Dr. Franklin could type in his code into the security screen, Uxia's face replaced the hand scanner and the door clicked open.

"How does she do that?" RoaneB asked.

"I'm not quite sure, maybe you'll tell us, dear?" Atheyr asked Uxia in the screen. She stuck out her tongue and vanished. "Or not, right, Franklin and RoaneB, after the Flesh, RoaneG, lead me on." And once again they separated.

RoaneG led Atheyr down the stairs, they were less likely to run into anyone in there as mostly everyone took the lift.

"That was easy." RoaneG whispered once they had made it to the last floor.

"Its always easy to break into prisons...its getting out that will be difficult." Atheyr told her.

The sudden sounds of foot steps alerted them, they were about to be discovered. Quickly they scampered into a broom closet. The space within was so cramped that it put RoaneG and Atheyr into a too close and awkward position. The rush into the closet had thrown RoaneG off balance and she leaned heavily into Atheyr. Neither could see in the dark closet, but they worked hard to keep their breathing slow and quiet.

The footsteps moved down the hall, the way they had come and then disappeared all together. Without making a sound, RoaneG opened the door barely a crack, but still being off balance she tumbled out. Atheyr moved quickly and closed the door. He helped RoaneG up and they hurried down the hall, hoping that no one had heard the noise.

Before they could get into the hall of cell blocks, they needed to go through a security door. With a help of his trusty screwdriver, they made it in without problems. RoaneG led him to the first cell door.

"This is Leera's room." RoaneG told him. Atheyr nodded and unlocked the door with the sonic.

It was a basic room, small and white, a small bed, a desk with paper and pencils and drawings of a seven year old hung on the wall. It wouldn't have been too bad except for what the drawings depicted. A little girl missing her mummy. A little girl with blood on her dress. Two little girls, crying. Atheyr looked away from the morbid art work. The room was dark and in the bed was a lump, of someone trying so desperately to block out the sound of the door opening, to pretend that the monsters weren't coming.

Atheyr motioned RoaneG to stay there by the door as a look out and to stay quiet. He silently approached the bed and knelt down next to the shaking lump.

"Leera?" He whispered.

The lump moved and just a bit of the blanket lifted up so that two eyes red with tears could peek out at him. She sniffed, "Who are you?" Her voice was so quiet Atheyr could barely hear her.

"I'm a friend of your mum and dad, I'm here to take you home."

"You're lying."

"I'm not. Don't you recognize me? They did things to me too. But I'm going to stop them and save everyone."

"They said things like that, but it was all a lie, how can I trust you?"

"Alright, we'll go and leave the door open, we've got to go help Zanna and Reilly. And anyone else who is still here."

Leera didn't move and Atheyr didn't make her do anything she didn't want to. He stood up to leave her. But Leera grabbed his jacket. "Don't leave me."

"I won't." He told her.

Leera climbed out of the bed and Atheyr helped her into some warmer clothes, surprised that they allowed her street clothes. As they left the room Leera clung to his hand. She only glared at RoaneG and refused to walk next to her.

"Don't worry, she's here to help."

Leera didn't dare speak in RoaneG's presence, she only shook her head in fear. They moved as quickly as they could to the next door, but Atheyr hesitated.

"What's wrong?" RoaneG asked him.

"I don't know." Atheyr didn't move, "Whose in there?"

"That's Reilly, he was a twelve year old kid that was with Laryn when we found her. He's what, sixteen now? I haven't really worked with him much."

"Okay." Atheyr whispered. "Wait here." He told Leera. He cautiously approached the door and sonicked it open. The room was dark, so dark that Atheyr couldn't see a thing. He took a step in and fiddled with the sonic, putting it on 'torch' mode. He shined it into the room.

It was small, smaller than Leera's room. It was without a bed, just a back white wall with silver chains hanging down. But the chains were empty.

"There's no one here." Atheyr said.

"What?" RoaneG asked, peering in from the hallway.

But just as Atheyr turned he was grabbed. He managed to stifle a yell of surprise, but when something sharp stabbed into his neck, he growled in pain. He struggled to get away, but his attacker held him in a headlock.

"Montmore?" RoaneG asked, she couldn't see much, Atheyr dropped the sonic and all she could see were figures tumbling in the dark.

"Don't-!" Atheyr choked out as she started towards him. "Rah!" He cried as the creature held him tightly and painfully. His neck was on fire and he was losing too much blood. He fell to his knees Just as his vision went black, the pain stopped.

He moaned and opened his eyes, barely five minutes had passed. He was in the hallway with Leera and RoaneG. His neck throbbed and when he touched it he felt warm sticky blood. Torn fabric was pressed against the wound and his other hand was held by Leera.

"What happened?" He croaked.

"I don't know." RoaneG whispered. She was standing over him, acting as a barrier between him and the dark room. "You said no one was in there and we heard you yell. But it let you go and we grabbed you, but it picked up your screwdriver."

Atheyr groaned as he sat up and peered around RoaneG. In the dark cell, Atheyr could see red glowing eyes.

"What is that thing?" RoaneG whispered.

"A vampire."

"There's no such-" But RoaneG stopped when she saw the look on his face.

"Why'd you let me go?" Atheyr asked the creature in the dark. "Mmm Yummy Time Lord blood all to yourself, it'll give you a definite energy boost."

"Its because you are a Time Lord, that I stopped myself." Answered the dark.

"Why?"

"I didn't realize who you were until my fangs were in your neck."

"You know me?"

"Of course I know you, Doctor I recognized your blood. And I know you are here to help me, to help Laryn and Zanna. I'm sorry I attacked you. I thought you were one of them."

"All's forgiven as long as you give me your word it won't happen again."

"I give you my word. Before this lot grabbed me Laryn took me in, kept me out of trouble."

"Very well. First, the Sonic." Atheyr held his hand out and Reilly came out of the shadow. He wiped away the blood at his chin and blinked as he entered the light. He handed Atheyr the screwdriver. Reilly stared at RoaneG, very much like Leera, he obviously didn't trust her. "She's assisting me." Atheyr explained.

"You have always had a thing for human females." Reilly muttered. Atheyr glared at him, but chose not to reply. "Have you gotten to Laryn yet?"

"Not yet." Atheyr looked at RoaneG. She walked with her arms crossed, she was pale and looked like she might be sick.

"We need to get her out. She's been screaming in my head all night, but has been silent this morning. They're planning on removing her unborn child today. God knows what that will do to it...to her."

"Right, Laryn's next." Atheyr looked pointedly at RoaneG.

RoaneG swallowed her protest, "Follow me." They easily broke into the room RoaneG led them to. Inside held an horribly uncomfortable looking hospital bed where the long red haired woman laid. She was restrained and seemed to be in a lot of pain. She struggled to breathe and her hospital gown was drenched in sweat. Her stomach was big and round and Atheyr was surprised when he saw the fabric of her gown move and twitch. He felt a stirring in his mind. The spark of life. Atheyr took a step back in awe. Laryn's unborn child was telepathic, a strong telepathic.

The stirring in his mind beckoned to him, begging him. Asking Atheyr for help. Atheyr sent warmth back to the little thing, a promise to save him and his mother. At once Atheyr and Reilly crowded around Laryn, working at her straps to free her.

"C'mon, Laryn, wake up. Wake up!" Reilly begged her.

Laryn didn't even moan, she just laid there struggling to breathe, deep beneath the surface of consciousness.

Reilly leaned down next to her ear and whispered, "Laryn, the Doctor is here. Not the scientists, the Doctor, your Doctor."

"What?" Laryn asked, her eyes fluttering open.

"C'mon Auntie Bell, up you get." Reilly encouraged.

Laryn slowly sat up as Reilly helped her. Her gray eyes settled on Atheyr's face. "Doctor?"

"Not exactly." Atheyr admitted. "A flesh copy. I go by Montmorency Atheyr."

"Atheyr. The Fire?"

"Atheyronaeyis"

"I like it." Laryn told him.

"And you are Laryn-?

"I've long forgotten my name, I go by Laryn Bell Pendagaust now." She winced, "We need to get Zanna."

Atheyr turned back to look at RoaneG who was looking away. "See if there's a wheelchair handy." He turned back to Laryn. "We'll have to risk you being found out on the lift, but I'm sure your boy here can defend you well."

Laryn patted Reilly's hand, "He's a good kid." She looked at Atheyr and tilted her head to look at him. "He didn't bite you did he, did you?" She turned back to Reilly, concern written on her face.

"I-"

"You promised!"

"It's alright, he thought I was one of the bad ones, as soon as he realized whom I was he released me. Speaking of which, how do you two know me?"

Laryn gave Reilly a disapproving look before returning her gaze to Atheyr. "You're attempting a rescue mission, this isn't the time nor place for such things."

"Quite right." Atheyr agreed, though he really wanted to know. "Ah here we are!" He said when RoaneG returned with a wheelchair. He and Reilly helped Laryn into the chair. "Now, I hope you don't mind me being a tad intrusive, but there's information I need to pass along to you, the escape route, see?"

Laryn shook her head, "You're not coming with us?"

Atheyr pointed with his head to RoaneG, "We're going after Zanna."

"Thank you. Get her out please."

"I will, now let me give you the information."

Laryn nodded her consent and he pressed his fingers against her temple. Her mind was like a dusty old corridor that stretched on for miles, but all the doors were secured with very powerful locks. A shining shimmering golden light, like faerie fluttered up and down the passage ways. Atheyr tried to ignore it and focused on passing on the information. He showed her that the Roane twins were helping and he could feel her relief. He showed her the Franklins as well as their escape route. Barely half a minute passed before he released her and he took a step back.

"Right!" He twirled around and then squatted down to Leera's height. "I need you to go with Auntie Laryn and Mr. Reilly."

"I want to stay with you and help Zanna."

"Listen, they're going to get you to your Mum. I'm going to get Zanna and I'll meet you back at our get-away-hover-van. Alright?"

Leera looked over to Laryn nervously, but she shook her head.

"Leera, Auntie Laryn has a baby in her tummy. Mr. Reilly is going to protect you, but I need someone to protect the baby. Please, go and help them get out safely. Your Mum is waiting for you."

"Okay." Leera whispered.

"Good." Atheyr smiled and led Leera over to Laryn's chair. Laryn held out her hand and Leera cautiously took it.

"I hope you don't mind me holding your hand? This place gives me the creeps." Laryn told the girl. Leera nearly smiled as she nodded, surprised that an adult would admit to being afraid.

"Reilly" Atheyr looked back up to the young man. He gritted his teeth as he spoke his next words, "Do whatever it takes to get them out."

Reilly didn't really smile, he flashed his fangs before answering with a "Yes sir." Atheyr didn't reply back, he just watched as Reilly pushed Laryn down the hall, with Leera following along closely.

"Now to find Zanna!" With that he took down the hall.

"Montmore wait!"

He skidded to a stop and turned back to RoaneG about to argue with her about being to slow and warning her of the dangers. But before he could speak she grabbed his hand, "You're going the wrong way!" And she tugged him down in the opposite direction.

They didn't hesitate when they reached the final cell. Atheyr quickly sonicked it open and he raced into the room. What he saw made him burn with fury. The room was larger than all the other rooms, as if this one had been three or four rooms next to each other with the walls removed. There was all kinds of machines and technology strewn across the room. But it was on the far wall that started the fire in Atheyr's mind. It was a tank filled with water. Suspended upright within it was little Zanna. She had various cords and tubes snaking in and out of her body.

As Atheyr stepped towards it a flickering orange light came on along with a high-pitched screech. Atheyr pressed his hands against his ears, trying to block out the sound. He tumbled immediately to the floor as soon as he realized that it wasn't actually a sound. Well it was, but it was designed to effect telepaths. He screamed as the sound rattled and echoed in his mind, his brain felt like it was melting. Bright lights flashed before Atheyr's eyes, blinding him, making him feel ill and sick. He clenched his eyes closed trying to block out the sound. Accompanying the sound was a crying. He managed to peel an eyelid open and look up at Zanna in the tank. Her small body convulsed as the sound was affecting her too.

"Montmore!" RoaneG cried. Atheyr couldn't turn around to look at her, he was back to closing his eyes, trying too hard to block out the sound that was bombarding his mental defenses. He could hear RoaneG crying, she must have been a low level telepath, either way it was affecting her as well.

The sound seemed to drag on forever, but when it finally shut off, Atheyr couldn't find the strength to move. He relaxed right there onto the floor. He checked his time-sense and widened his eyes in panic when he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel time! The Sound must have disrupted it somehow.

"Well, Well, well. What do we have here?"

"No." Atheyr whispered as foot steps approached his vulnerable form.

"Ah, the lovely Aisha Roane. I expected so much from her. You know she was working on replicating you?" Dr. Vermaak told Atheyr as he walked slowly around until he was in front of him.

Atheyr forced his muscles to move. They ached and seized and he groaned.

"I take it it worked? Hmm? My little Song that only affects those with a higher mind. It does well for neutralizing little Zanna, but she's just child. Glad to know that it works well on adults, no matter their telepathic level."

"Stop this." Atheyr whispered, once more trying to move. He managed to lift up his head, but just as he did so Dr. Vermaak grabbed his collar and lifted him up. Atheyr's legs would not work, let alone allow him to stand.

"You are my property, I'll do what I like." Dr. Vermaak hissed before he released him. Atheyr gave a shout as he fell back to the ground. Dr. Vermaak pushed Atheyr over onto his back with his boot, when he noticed the Sonic. Dr. Vermaak picked it up and pocketed it as he spoke, "I'll not let forty years of work go to waste because of you!" Then he stomped his foot down onto Atheyr's left shoulder.

"RAAAAAH!" He shouted as Dr. Vermaak's heel landed over the nerve bundle in his shoulder. Lights danced before his eyes and the darkness edged closer, but he fought it. When Atheyr opened his eyes, Dr. Vermaak was walking away. With another cry of pain, Atheyr made it onto his side so he could see what Dr. Vermaak was doing. He walked over to RoaneG, who was still out of commission.

"And you, filthy half-breed." Dr. Vermaak leaned down over her. He touched her face, but she was out cold. "Your grandfather had so many plans for you." His fingers traced down her cheek and neck "I had plans for you and your brother, but he was convinced that you'd be valuable assets to our facility."

"Leave her alone!" Atheyr shouted. He made it up to his knees, but his muscles were still stiff and just didn't want to work.

Dr. Vermaak continued to slip his fingers down RoaneG's chest, and lingering them there as he looked back at Atheyr, "Of course Dr. Roane was right, without her help, we wouldn't have you."

Atheyr suddenly found himself on his feet and charging towards Dr. Vermaak. Atheyr tackled him to the ground, throwing punches at the man. However Dr. Vermaak threw him off, before Atheyr could get back to him, Dr Vermaak pulled a black rectangle out and pressed it against Atheyr's chest. Atheyr screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in agony as electricity came in waves throughout his body. Even after Dr. Vermaak turned the taser off, Atheyr's muscles continued to twitch and spasm.

Dr. Vermaak stood up and dusted himself off. He pocketed the taser and looked back down at Atheyr. He pulled back his lips and growled at him before he landed a few kicks into Atheyr's side. Atheyr coughed and sputtered. He cried as he heard one crack. He tried to wrap his arms around his torso to protect his ribs.

"That will keep you down for a while. Maybe I'll enhance the Song. Clearly it needs a higher setting to keep you down." Atheyr's face crumpled in pain at the thought of hearing that Sound again. Dr. Vermaak smiled, "Ah, looking forward to hearing it again?" He pulled a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button.

"No! Please!" Atheyr managed to cry out as the Sound attacked him mind again. He didn't know how much longer of this he could take. He writhed and he could feel his body temperature rising dangerously high. But then the Sound was clicked off again and Atheyr relaxed once more into the floor, his body like jelly, refusing to move.

"Sir, the military will be here in ten minutes." A voice on a radio was saying. Dr Vermaak pulled it up to his mouth.

"What's our casualties?"

"We have three dead, two critically injured and the Lady, L. and the Vampire are gone."

Dr. Vermaak swore and swung his foot once more at Atheyr's body, with crack and a whimper, Atheyr knew a second rib had broken.

"That's quite a loss. Make sure our records are sent to the cloud, deal with anyone who can't walk. Teleport to the Facility in Cardiff. I'll meet you there. It's not all a loss. I've got Aisha, Chengyin XI and Project Z. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Yes Sir."

Dr. Vermaak placed the radio back onto his belt before bending over Atheyr. He touched Atheyr's cheek and Atheyr flinched in response. "I'll make sure you suffer for this. Then we'll go back to our original plans with the virus. I hope you haven't forgotten about that."

"I haven't and you're wrong!" Atheyr panted. "It doesn't work on the flesh nor New-Humans. Just on Time Lords and shape shifters"

Dr. Vermaak moved his hand away from Atheyr's face and instead placed it over the nerve bundle in his left shoulder. Atheyr stiffened as Dr. Vermaak threatened to dig his fingers into the hyper-sensitive nerve bundle. "We discovered this with Laryn. I'll never get tired of her screams." With that he pressed his fingers into the area and Atheyr screamed in agony. He still cried even after Dr. Vermaak stopped the torture.

"Why would such an advanced race even have such a vulnerability?"

Atheyr didn't answer, he worked on breathing, he glared and he panted hoping for his nerve endings to calm down. Dr. Vermaak turned away from Atheyr and began fiddling with the tank and the machines. He drained the tank and removed the wire and tubes from Zanna. He laid her limp body next to Atheyr. But as he went to retrieve RoaneG. He stopped.

"No." He whispered.

Atheyr turned his head, to watch him and found that the Ghost, Uxia was there. Dr. Vermaak's radio crackled with static and a high pitch until the static cleared and her American accented voice spoke out clearly.

"Hello Andile."

"Not here. You can't be here!" Dr. Vermaak shouted at her. But as she took a step towards him he took a step back.

"You little insignificant human." Uxia crowed. "You don't know how long I've had to wait for this moment. All those years ago. Waiting until I was allowed to kill you. Until I could kill you. You hurt so many innocent people. Confess your sins and I'll pass judgment over you swiftly."

Dr. Vermaak pulled out the remote once more switching it on.

"AAAAARGH!" Atheyr cried as the Sound was back, mercilessly tearing away at his mind. But with a wave of Uxia's transparent hand the remote in Dr. Vermaak's sent sparks flying and the Sound came to a halt.

"Gah!" Atheyr gasped in relief, but lights still flashed before his eyes and a painful migraine took over. His mind was shutting down and his vision tunneled.

"Fine, I shall charge you with the crimes you have committed." Uxia announced, as she spoke she continued towards Dr. Vermaak and that pushed him backwards, Uxia continued until she was standing over Atheyr like a ghostly shield.

"I charge you with Arson and the many villages you burnt to the ground in Evander, Ermelo, Embalenhle and Vryheid. With Aggravated Assault and Bribery. With all the crimes against children, Abandonment, Abuse and others. With Conspiracy against various governments and the Earth as a whole. With Drug Manufacturing and Cultivation and Drug Trafficking and the Distribution across Nelspruit and to the poor and starving as a city wide experiment to hallucinogenics. I charge you with Extortion, Forgery, Fraud, Harassment, Hate Crimes, Homicide, Kidnapping and Manslaughter. With murder in every degree. With Rape, Sexual Assault, the unlawful experimentation on all beings and the Flesh. And the torture of this man, who saved five lives today." Uxia looked down to Atheyr. She had backed Dr. Vermaak right up against the now empty tank.

She looked back up to Dr. Vermaak before continuing, "The things you did to them will never be forgiven. NEVER. I'll never ever forget it. I'll make you suffer a thousand times worse." She looked back up to Dr. Vermaak. "How about that? Hm? I'll have you reliving every crime you committed. But not as you...but as your victims. You see. I was there from the beginning. I wasn't allowed to interfere, like the Time Lords and their silly rules." Uxia glanced quickly at Atheyr before looking back up at Dr. Vermaak. "I remember everything you did. From the moment you and that bastard Edmond Cobbs met. Katharísei To Vevi̱ló̱sei. Cleanse the Corrupted. That's what you and Cobbs decided, your little motto for your 'cleansing' facilities. Well good sir. I'll cleanse you from this realm." With that the Ghost stepped right into Dr. Vermaak. Her body disappearing.

Dr. Vermaak seized and tumbled to the ground. He shook and convulsed. He opened his mouth to scream, but blood poured out as he choked on it. His nose, eyes and ears bled out until he stopped moving altogether.

Atheyr managed to sit up with moan as his broken ribs protested. He stared at the body, feeling slightly guilty that that monster got exactly what he deserved, death. A banging sound, the pounding of feet thundered over head. The military! Didn't the man on the radio say the Military was on their way? And they were here. Atheyr could hear them. He glanced at RoaneG, remembering what she had said, 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire.'

Atheyr forced himself to his feet, taking Zanna with him. She was drenched from the tank, but unconscious. Atheyr limped over to where RoaneG was sprawled out. He didn't know how to get them out. He couldn't carry both of them and thinking hurt. His brain felt like pudding. So he sat down Zanna and closed the door. He couldn't lock it from the inside...not without his...He looked back over to the corpse.

Before he could get close enough to retrieve the sonic from the dead man's pocket fell out on its own. It startled Atheyr and he jumped back, wincing as he jolted his ribs. The body contorted and the ghost climbed out from the body.

"They're coming!" She warned him.

Atheyr picked up the Sonic. He buzzed the door until it clicked and locked. A pounding at the door meant that the soldiers had arrived.

"It won't take them long to get in, they'll blow up the door if they have to." Uxia told him.

"My brain is too muddled to think. How do we get out of here?"

"Well you could always just let them capture you." Suggested the ghost.

"That's not helping."

"Alright fine, have it your way. Go through his pockets, he was going to teleport you lot out. I'll reprogram it to take you out of the facility, close to your getaway van."

Atheyr did what she suggested. Finding the teleportation devices. He wrapped his arms around RoaneG and Zanna. The Ghost placed her transparent hand onto the device and in a burst of light they were gone.

"Ah!" Atheyr cried out as the cold hit him hard. He was dizzy and disorientated and he flinched when arms grabbed at him. He weakly fought them until they dragged him into someplace warm.

"We got them go!" Someone shouted.

"RoaneB?" Atheyr whispered.

"We've got you, you're safe, go to sleep."

Atheyr didn't want to miss out on anything, but he obeyed and closed his eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 The meaning of memories

Atheyr groaned as he came around. His body hurt, a lot. But the bed was comfortable and underneath the blankets were warm. Someone had left a damp rag on his head, but it had gone warm. Atheyr pushed it away and heard it hit the floor. He carefully opened his eyes, thankful for the lack of light in the room. As his eyes focused on the dim room a chill slipped down his spine, making him shiver and wince, his ribs, healing but sensitive. He'd been in this room before...Where had he'd seen it?

He sat up, pressing his hand against his ribs. The bed was in the wrong spot. It should have been by the door instead of-

"NO!" He cried out as he turned to look at the wall his bed was pressed up against. He tumbled out of the bed, shouting as he did so. This room. He knew where he'd seen it before and on that wall, staring back at him like a crooked grin, the crack in time. He was in Amelia's bedroom and the break in the fabric of reality was there.

"Montmore?" A voice called from the hallway. Atheyr couldn't answer his hearts were pounding too quickly in his chest.

"I'm coming in." said RoaneB as he pushed open the door. "Montmore, you really shouldn't be out of bed."

"Its back, the Tardis exploding the end of reality, the end of the world total event collapse. I thought, but the big bang two it worked, it shouldn't-"

"Montmore, it's a mural."

"What?"

RoaneB leaned down next to Atheyr, his hand on his shoulder. "The crack in the wall, its just a mural. A reminder of where it all started. The Ghost directed us here and we checked it out. Owned by some guy named Milos Raeburn. But he's out of country and the place is empty, we've got running water and electricity and comfy beds. So relax."

"Okay." Atheyr agreed. He could see now that the crack was darker and flatter and totally just a painting. RoaneB helped him up and urged him to go back to bed, but he refused. So RoaneB took him down to the kitchen to find some food.

"It wasn't this Milos Raeburn who painted that?" Atheyr asked.

"I doubt it. This house is a historical building. I think the they did the mural a hundred years or so ago."

"But how would they know?"

"We know lots of things about the Doctor and his heroics. Well, some of us do."

The kitchen wasn't any different to the first time the Doctor had been there. Atheyr almost expected a little Amelia to appear with an apple with a smiley face or something. Instead RoaneB offered him a bowl of cereal with a cup of tea.

"How long was I out?"

"About a day." RoaneB answered. "Everyone's in lounge, Laryn said she wouldn't share her story until you woke up."

"Oh, I better hurry then."

"Nah, take your time."

"You don't want to hear her story?"

RoaneB sighed. "I guess I'm a bit scared to find out the truth. Have you...or the Doctor, have you ever lost something. Like I lost my parents. And you lived so long believing one thing that even when it was contradicted, you didn't want to go back?"

"Yeah." Atheyr agreed as he finished his cereal. "Along time ago I...He left his granddaughter here on Earth. He...we made mistakes, her son was killed, but we left her nonetheless. He...always wanted to know what happened to her...but was too afraid to go back and find out."

"So...so take as long as you like." RoaneB said, but gulped when he saw that Atheyr's breakfast was gone. He sighed and led Atheyr into the lounge. And there, everyone was waiting, except for Dr. Franklin and his family. "The Franklins agreed that this isn't their story...they've got lots of making up to do." RoaneB whispered to Atheyr.

RoaneG sat alone in the love seat, while Laryn, Zanna and Reilly had over taken the couch. RoaneB took his seat next to his sister, which left a single comfy chair for Atheyr. "I guess we're all waiting for your story, Laryn Bell Pendagaust." Atheyr said.

"Yes, I see. A long time ago I found myself trapped on Earth, alone, without a way back. To Gallifrey. So I made my home here. I became Laryn. About forty years ago while I was in France I found a boy. Name Zach."

"That's our father's name." RoaneG stated.

"Yes. He was just a child and I took him in. Realized he wasn't so much different from me. He had two hearts, but he was also significantly human. Its quite difficult for Time Lords and humans to...mix. So I was amazed. I took care of him, raised him. Taught him what I knew of our ways." Laryn looked at Atheyr. "When he was grown he went to Uni, met a girl and married her. Her name was..."

"Anna, our mother's name was Anna." RoaneB added this time.

"Yes Anna. Sweet girl. And she gave birth to you two. But when you were very little, a year maybe? That's when he came, your grandfather. Spencer Roane. It wasn't until your father, Zach brought your family to me, begging me to hide them that he told me about Spencer." Laryn hesitated, her hand going to her tummy where her unborn child visibly kicked. "Zach told me that his father, Spencer Roane had killed his mother Gina. Zach said that his mother took him into her room one night and told him to find his grandfather Veruwi a proper Time Lord. That's when Spencer came in and attacked her. Zach said he realized the truth was that his father Spencer had been more than abusive to his wife. And on that night. Zach, barely ten years old watched his father kill his mother."

"Could she regenerate? Time Lords can regenerate!" RoaneG asked, looking from Atheyr to Laryn.

"Zach told me Gina's last words."

"Tell me." Atheyr insisted.

"She said first to Spencer, 'I won't be your bird in the cage any longer, I don't have to if I don't want to. I refuse.' Then she looked to Zach and said, 'Run you clever boy and remember me.'"

"What does that mean?" RoaneB asked.

"It means that Gina refused to regenerate, Time Lords can do that. Choose not to regenerate and to die." Atheyr explained.

"What happened when we hid with you?" RoaneG asked Laryn.

Laryn sighed, "The thing is, I didn't realize it, but Spencer was the same man I had been running away from as well. He and Andile Vermaak had been working with the Katharisei facilities. They'd caught me once, but I got managed to escape. So one night they came, with practically a whole army, disabled my teleportation devices. A step ahead of me. They killed your mother and took us away."

"No, they killed dad too." RoaneG argued.

Laryn pursed her lips. "Your memories have been tampered with. Zach was alive for nearly ten years after they killed Anna. They did a lot of regeneration experiments on him. Just think a part human part Time Lord mix who can regenerate? It was a field day."

"Stop." RoaneG whispered.

"He tried to see you, but Spencer told him you were dead."

"No."

"Just as they told you he was dead."

"Stop it!" RoaneB shouted as RoaneG was near to tears.

Laryn stared at Atheyr. "On the day of Zach's death, he managed to get me out. I traveled for a while, found Reilly, a vampire child abandoned. No clue where he comes from, but he's like a son to me. Then four years ago they found me again. Made me have Zanna. Not that I didn't want you, dear." Laryn said to the four year old sandwiched between Reilly and her mother. "And not too long ago, this one came along." Laryn patted her tummy.

"There's no way we can prove she's telling the truth." RoaneG sniffled.

Atheyr looked at her then back at Laryn.

"I could do it, they're all there in your mind." Laryn told her. "Memories can't all just be erased. Its very tricky business, and as clever as Spencer and Andile are, they wouldn't have managed it and kept you both sane."

"She's right." Atheyr agreed before RoaneG could protest. "Permanently erasing memories at this day an age is pretty impossible, if something can be remembered, it can come back. Though hiding memories behind locked doors, even a low level telepath from the 1700s Earth could do it. Now that you've made it all the way here to 2367, implanting fake memories isn't too complicated either."

"You think my memories have been tampered with?" RoaneG asked.

"I think both of yours have been. Dr. Vermaak...was waiting for us when we went to get Zanna, he knocked you out...and he said somethings. Contradictory things to what you've said you've known. But seeing how he's dead there isn't much of a way of finding out the truth. Except..."

"Except from my memories that are supposedly blocked off."

"Yes."

"Okay. Do it." RoaneG closed her eyes and cringed, waiting for him.

"RoaneG?" She opened her eyes and Atheyr sat down on the floor. She followed him. He leaned forward, gently placing his fingers to her temple. "This won't hurt, I promise." Atheyr told her with a smile. RoaneG returned the smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. She was terrified of everything. She heard Laryn say to the others not to interfere with either of them, it could cause a great amount of damage...

Atheyr closed his eyes_ and shifted through hall of doors in RoaneG's mind. He ignored the closed doors as he searched for the specific memory that started it all. It didn't take long, he found a severally damaged wooden door that had been ripped from its hinges. Atheyr was careful not to touch it and he crossed into the room. _

_The metaphysical room was a light pink. A big window seat sat against the opposing wall from the door, the moonlight glinted through pale curtains. To the left was a child's bed with golden stars and pink flowers on the bed spread. A little girl, four year old RoaneG, was tucked away in the bed. A white dresser drawer held a little lamp. On the bed a man sat, reading a book. The cover read Dreams of Other Places by Christina Leon. _

"'Aisha looked out the window and there before her she saw a purple dragon-'_" RoaneG's father read to her. RoaneG's face was bright and happy and enthralled by the story. _

_Atheyr smiled sadly, knowing what was about to happen. However, before RoaneG's Father could finish the story the entire room flickered and paused. Static and electricity ran up the walls, as if it was a bad signal coming from a telly. Everything flickered to black and then restarted. _

"_'_Aisha looked out the window and there before her she saw a golden Spinx-_'" RoaneG's father repeated. "'_Aisha opened her window and the Sphinx spoke to her. The Sphinx's voice was as warm as honey but whispered like the wind, "Hello Aisha-'_" RoaneG's father suddenly jumped up in surprise. A woman with long red hair burst into the room. Atheyr identified her immediately as a younger and thinner Laryn. RoaneG's father pushed RoaneG to the floor. "Hide" He whispered to her. Then he rushed at Laryn. Laryn dodged to the side and grabbed her father's face with her bare hands. Immediately his brain turned to mush as blood leaked out of his nose, mouth, ear and eyes. The blood pooled onto the floor and ran in rivers towards little RoaneG. Laryn smiled cruelly at little RoaneG. She stared up at her in terrible fear, but Laryn left her and walked on through the house. _

_RoaneG was unable to move for a long time, when she could she tried to wake her father, but he had died before his body hit the floor. "Bubby!" RoaneG whimpered. She staggered to her little feet and ran from her room. Atheyr followed her through the small flat. RoaneG stopped at a white door, blood dripped from the handle. She pushed it open. Her mother leaned over the bath tub. RoaneB stood there in the tub. Blood dripped from his chest, the tub was full of blood. Atheyr turned to RoaneG. She was frozen in horror. _

"_Aisha" Atheyr used her real name to draw her attention. "Aisha, look at me." He gently touched her shoulder and knelt to her size. The little girl's frozen expression turned to Atheyr. "Listen to me. This memory is wrong. This is not what happened, someone has tampered with it. Memories can be rewritten, but somewhere in here you have a copy of the original, we just need to find it, find out what really happened."_

"_Laryn killed my parents. Look what she did to Abel." RoaneG's eyes turned back to her brother, frozen in the tub of blood. _

"_No, this isn't what really happened. Someone has tampered with your memory. Someone wanted you to think it was Laryn. Lets go find out why."_

"_I'm afraid." RoaneG cried. _

"_I know and I'm sorry, but I promised you justice and leaving things like this would be wrong." RoaneG nodded and Atheyr scooped her up in his arms. He carried her back into her room and back to the broken door. "See, someone damaged this memory, the door to it is broken. Forcing you to relive this memory every day."_

"_Why?"_

"_To fuel your hatred...maybe" Atheyr suggested. "When I first came in your father read you a story, lets look at that." Atheyr picked up Dreams of Other Places. "The original memory he told you about a purple dragon, but then in the fake memory he was telling you about a Sphinx..." Atheyr sat down onto the bed, with RoaneG still in his arms. He flipped through the book. There were seven stories in all, but they were the same seven stories. _

"_That's not right. There were other stories, about dragons, Pegasus and unicorns..." RoaneG told him. "It was my favorite book. Dad would always make me the hero of the story." RoaneG smiled at the memory. "Except for the last time he read it, there had never been a Sphinx story." She looked up at Atheyr. _

_Atheyr held out the book. "So this is a part of the lie..." Atheyr tore the book in half._

"_Don't do that!" RoaneG cried. The book dissolved and vanished. _

"_It's part of the lie...a fake. What was in that book...tell me." Atheyr asked her._

"_It was Dreams of Other Places, but Christina Leon. It had dragons and unicorns and Pegasus, even lions with wings and a phoenix. It was my favorite bedtime story." Atheyr sat RoaneG on the bed as he stood up._

"_If it was a proper memory, you would have forgotten it...I'll be right back!" He told her. He ran from the room and leaped over the broken door. Then he turned and ran back in. The Memory had rewound and restarted. RoaneG was in the bed and her father was reading her the story. _

"_'_Aisha looked out the window and there before her she saw a purple dragon-'_" The flickering started up and the electricity ran across the room and walls. Atheyr threw himself against the wall and grabbed hold of the wallpaper. He ignored the sting of the electricity and with all of his might he tore it away. The electricity and static crackled and the room flickered. A darkness appeared from behind the torn wallpaper and it turned into a vacuum, sucking Atheyr in. _

_Atheyr shouted in surprise and landed hard onto the ground. Moonlight filtered in through the window and RoaneG's father read her a story. _

"'Aisha looked out the window and there before her she saw a purple dragon. Aisha opened her window and the dragon spoke to her. The Dragon's voice was as warm as honey but whispered like the wind, "Hello Aisha-"'" _A banging sound stopped RoaneG's father mid sentence. "Wait here, I'll be right back." He told her with a smile. He stood up and left the room. RoaneG waited a moment, then she leaped up from the bed and tiptoed down the hall. Atheyr followed her. RoaneG peeked around the corner. Her father ran back towards her. _

"_I thought I told you to...never mind." RoaneG's father started, instead he scooped her up in his arms. He burst into the bathroom. _

"_Zach!" RoaneG's mother exclaimed in surprise._

"_Daddy!" Little RoaneB said, trying to jump in the tub. He nearly slipped and fell, but Anna saved him. _

"_We have to go now. He's found us." _

"_No!" Gasped Anna. _

"_Quick, just wrap him up in a towel!" _

_Anna complied, pulling RoaneB out of the water and wrapping him up in a big towel. The parents carried their children quickly up to the attic. _

"_Laryn? Laryn?"_

"_The signal keeps jamming for some reason...Oh, the whole family?" Laryn turned in her swivel chair from her desk. A large computer mainframe sat perched on the wall and bits of electronics and books littered the floor._

"_No time, Laryn, He's here. My father has found us."_

_Laryn went pale. "The barrier. I did wonder..."_

"_The teleports, are they ready?"_

"_Yes..well no, that's what I'm saying, I can't get the signal out, something is...Spencer, he must be blocking the signal."_

"_What do we do?"_

_Laryn typed away at her computer, pulling up their security CCTV cameras. The grounds were flooded with soldiers. "There is nothing..." She looked back up. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...we'll have to fight."_

_The three of them sat the children into Laryn's closet. It was bigger on the inside and they loved playing in it. But after a long time of being locked up in it, they started to cry. And when they were found, RoaneG saw that their house was nearly destroyed. Bits and pieces had been torn out of the walls. And RoaneG And RoaneB were carried out by soldiers. RoaneG could see blood smeared on the wall and her mother's body on the ground, her eyes open and unseeing, blood everywhere. _

_Then she saw her grandfather, smiling, despite the blood on his hands. RoaneG screamed, but he said,_

"_Don't worry little ones, you won't even remember this." _

_The scene flashed to white, stuttered, rewound and then restarted. Atheyr looked away and searched for the exit. But he could not see a door for him to simply leave through. Beyond the rewritten memory there was nothing. "RoaneG!" Atheyr called out. But there was nothing. Atheyr tried leaving the house. He went through the front door and found himself in a nice garden. The street in front read Cavendish Drive. Atheyr walked down the street, knowing he was in Cambridge England. However at the end of the street, there was nothing, just a darkness that stretched on forever. The recycle bin of the mind, all forgotten memories and useless information were deposited here. Atheyr didn't dare step out there. He would never get out, if he went out there._

_Atheyr walked back to RoaneG's childhood home. He didn't particularly want to relive the memory. But now that he knew that her memory had been deposited here, it was possible she would never get it back on her own. And anything he said to her, she would probably not retain it either. He walked back into her bedroom and the memory started again._

"'Aisha looked out the window and there before her she saw a purple dragon. Aisha opened her window and the dragon spoke to her. The Dragon's voice was as warm as honey but whispered like the wind,'"

_"Aisha." Atheyr called to her. But she did not look back, even when he tried to touch her, his fingers slipped through her, like a phantom and the memory continued on, ignoring Atheyr. This wasn't like the fake memory where he could interact with her. This was a memory buried beneath her subconscious. Atheyr closed his eyes as her father left the room and she followed. He stayed in the room with his eyes shut tight. He heard them break the door down, the fight. He clamped his hands over his ears, so he wouldn't have to hear it again. He hid his face in his hands when he heard the children cry. Then it started all over again._

_Atheyr tried pulling at the wallpaper, but it only held white plaster behind it, no secret doors. No cracks in the wall. He hit his head against the wall when he heard the children cry for the tenth time. There was no way for him to get out. He was going to be trapped there forever. Atheyr was growing weary, he didn't know how much time he had spent in RoaneG's mind. Things were getting dangerous, if he stayed there much longer, neither of them might not ever wake up again. _

_Atheyr took to sitting in the garden. Zach and Anna were lovely people. Their garden was beautiful. At least in the garden, the chaos of the memory was distant, quieter. Anywhere else, he was forced to relive RoaneG's nightmare. The same memory had replayed four hundred times. Atheyr covered his ears and laid down. He was never going to get out._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 The Waltz

"_Montmore?"_

_Atheyr's eyes flashed open. He had heard her, he had heard her voice. "RoaneG!" Atheyr yelled. He sat up, but he could not see an exit. Then a light shined above him. Looking up at the sky, a hole was being made in the fabric of the memory. RoaneG slipped through it and landed like a cat on the ground. The hole healed itself and vanished. She was grown now. Atheyr couldn't stop himself from giving her a hug. He was ashamed of how scared he had been. He thought he was going to be trapped for forever. _

"_Montmore...where are we?" RoaneG asked, returning the hug. Atheyr pulled back, concern etching deep into his face. He held tightly to her hand. _

"_This is what really happened." He led her back to her room, where it had all begun. "The truth that was stolen from you and your brother. Its painful, but you need it. You deserve the truth." _

_RoaneG looked around the room until it flickered and rewound. She held Atheyr's hand tightly as she watched it all play out... She didn't cry when it ended. She sighed. Releasing her hate for Laryn in that one metaphysical breath. She tugged at Atheyr's hand. "We don't need to see it again, its time for us to go."_

"_I couldn't agree more." Atheyr answered her and this time, a new door appeared where it should have been before. It had been restored and fixed and it led back to her corridor of memories. RoaneG hesitated. Bringing Atheyr to a stop. "What's wrong?"_

_"You said there were others. Other memories that had been manipulated." _

"_Maybe we should find those later, we've been here too long already."_

_"I don't want to go back with fake memories."_

_Atheyr sighed and they searched on. It didn't take long, there was an entire corridor with scorch marks on the floor. All the doors were locked in this hallway._

"_How do we get in?" RoaneG asked as she tugged on a door knob._

"_Hmm." Atheyr pulled out his Sonic screwdriver and tossed it once into the air and caught it. He fiddled with a setting._

"_This place isn't real, you can't use a metaphysical Sonic screwdriver on metaphysical locked doors!"_

"_Never know until you try. Which one should we try first?" _

_RoaneG picked a door and when Atheyr used the Sonic on it, it surprised them both by letting off a shock and then flinging open. "Don't dis the Sonic, even if it is metaphysical." Atheyr told her as they peeked into the room. RoaneG took one look and then dashed out. Atheyr didn't blame her. For in that room was a table and on that table was a little girl. Atheyr quickly closed the door._

"_He experimented on me. On us."_

"_We should leave."_

_"I have to see the rest. You don't have to come. I'll be quick. I just need to know."_

"_Okay." Atheyr whispered. He held up the Sonic and activated it. All the doors down the corridor opened and screams wailed out. Atheyr winced. His head. Metaphysical or not, it ached. They really needed to leave. But true to her world RoaneG just took swift glimpses into each of the rooms. When she came back to him she stopped him from locking the doors back. _

"_I want to access them when I can." She said._

"_Fair enough."_

"_We should go now."_

"_Yeah, we should."_

_She offered her hand to him and he took it. Together they waltz out of her memories. _


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15 Into the Fire_

Atheyr moaned. A searing heat painfully pounded behind his eyes. He was laying in a bed, no a couch. It was soft and comfortable, but the room was a tad too warm. He opened his eyes and jolted up, the last thing he remembered was rummaging around in RoaneG's mind, opening painful memories. The sudden movement made him dizzy and nauseous. He moaned again, clenched his eyes shut and let his head fall into his hands. The room was too bright and too hot and his body was stiff and weak. The brief glance he had of the blurry room was unrecognizable. He seemed to be in an office of some kind, but he didn't know where. Maybe he had stayed in RoaneG's head too long and now he was suffering the consequences of brain damage.

"Montmore?"

"RoaneG?" Atheyr opened his eyes and the room came into focus. The walls were of stained black wood with a matching wooden floor, though it was mostly covered by intricate red and gold patterned rugs. Old framed photos, some black and white and antique maps littered the walls. Atheyr was on a couch and to his right there was a black oak desk, filled with papers and pens and various other desky things. As for other furniture, just a couple of nice chairs, a coffee table...with cups of coffee and tea.

Atheyr wasn't the only person in the room. RoaneG stood next to the couch looking down at him.

"What happened?" He croaked, his voice was rough, and tasted sour. His tongue felt like sandpaper.

"The military found us." RoaneG said.

"What?" Atheyr grunted as he forced himself into a proper sitting position by putting his feet down onto the floor. He made room on the couch and RoaneG took a seat. He still held his head in his hands, trying to rub away the headache.

"They stormed in while you were deep sea diving into my sister's mind." RoaneB explained from one of the comfy chairs. "It was all Laryn could do to stop them from touching you. After an hour of being held by gunpoint, you fell over and Laryn said you'd stopped whatever you were doing and they took us. You started to come around while they were transporting us, but they sedated you."

"I don't remember that." Atheyr said nervously as he pulled his hands away from his head. He could feel it, the combination of being too long in another mind plus sedation, at least it wasn't fatal and he'd get past the nauseous feeling soon enough. A cup of tea would just about cure it...Atheyr then remembered the tea on the coffee table and helped himself.

"I'm not surprised, you were pretty out of it. When we arrived here they separated us until the head of the military turned up. He yelled a lot, not to us, but he brought us to this room, and got us the tea and coffee. He said he'd come back when you woke up."

"That seems pretty ominous." Atheyr replied, sipping his tea. He put twice the normal amount of sugar than he usually added. It was helping with the headache immensely and his body temperature was returning to normal. " They haven't killed us or restrained us or started us on any experimental drugs, not including the sedation. And we're in someone's nice office, rather than a prison cell. I'd say they've been rather kind, not an entirely 'into the fire'. Oh. But what's happened to Laryn and the Franklins?"

"I don't know we haven't seen them since the old house in Leadworth." RoaneB answered.

"Well we'll have to go and find them-" Atheyr patted his coat pocket for the screwdriver, but very quickly his expression became agitated, "Where's my screwdriver?"

"That man took it, said he didn't want you causing any power outages." RoaneB said.

"The boss man of the military, I don't like him."

"Join the club." RoaneG responded.

"Yeah? We have a club? We need t-shirts."

"Would you really wear a t-shirt?" RoaneB asked.

"Probably not, but you two can. Maybe I could have a cape instead."

"That's rubbish." RoaneG laughed.

"Oi, don't dis capes. Capes are cool."

"Oh capes can get you into a lot of trouble." Said a voice with an American accent, belonging to the man opening the door.

"Ah, isn't that what Edna Mode said?" Atheyr asked as he straightened, he smiled as he thought fondly of the Pixar character. "I love Edna Mode, she was brill-" The man standing before him in a long flowing coat had Atheyr staring with his mouth agape.

"Jack?" He asked, barely believing it to be true. He stood up and approached him. He looked Jack up and down, even took a sniff at him. But there was no mistaking the time distortions writhing around him, nor slight scent of artron energy that clung to his skin.

"Montmore?" RoaneG found herself gripping Atheyr's arm, suddenly terrified of the man who entered the room.

"You know him?" RoaneB asked.

"Captain Jack Harkness." Atheyr muttered as he took sight of the Captain. Same World War II coat, same blue eyes, though a couple new wrinkles and gray hairs were added to the immortal's face.

"I'm honored that you remember me, Doctor. Though I admit that I'm disappointed that you haven't visited me sooner."

"Sorry I've been a bit busy trying to evade the Military."

"Well thanks for that."

"I didn't know you were here."

"Montmore." RoaneB spoke, "That's him."

"Oh? What?" Atheyr turned to look at RoaneB then turned back to Jack. "You aren't in charge of the military are you?"

"Field Marshal Jack Harkness. I miss the Captain bit, but in this day an age they need me as the top dog." He gave a theatrical bow, "At your service, Doctor."

"Atheyr looked back at his friends with a half smile, "This would be the extreme opposite of 'into the fire' scenario."

"Alright first order of business," Atheyr spoke once they were all sitting back down around the coffee table drinking tea and coffee and all in all relaxing a bit of much needed 'relax-ment' as he put it. "What have you done with the Franklins and Laryn, Reilly and Zanna?"

"They're safe, you have my word."

"RoaneG was very worried about running into you lot. Should we still be worried?"

"RoaneG?" Jack asked.

"That's me." RoaneG answered. "My real name is Aisha Roane and you've met Abel, my brother." She nodded to RoaneB.

"Or RoaneG and RoaneB for short, I'm still waiting for an answer." Atheyr said seriously.

"Alright. You don't have to worry about us, we are still U.N.I.T. Well we've grown quite big and the regular military has become a part of U.N.I.T."

"And you know how I feel about militaries."

"Of course, Doctor, but the world isn't perfect, we have to protect Earth somehow and big guns is our best option."

"You are sure everyone is safe? You know the Franklins worked with the Katharisei?"

"Yes, Lady Laryn has told me everything."

"Lady Laryn..."

"Doctor?"

"No, sorry, yes! Right Laryn Bell Pendagaust. Just the way you said Lady Laryn made me remember something, completely irrelevant. So you know her then?"

"I ran into her about fifty years ago. We worked together she helped me here. But then she moved to France and we lost track of each other. She contacted me about twenty years ago and I was planning a security detail for her and the family she stayed with. But she never returned my calls and when we found the place it was torn up."

"The night grandfather kidnapped us." RoaneG whispered.

"Yeah." Muttered Atheyr.

"We've been working for a long time trying to dismantle all of the Facilities, but it hasn't been easy. It didn't help that they kept moving Lady Laryn every time we got close. Then a couple of years ago the Franklins contacted me and explained their situation with their daughter. But that operation failed and they took her anyway."

"So you know them already?" Atheyr asked.

"Yes, it was Gretchen Franklin who contacted us two nights ago, informing us of your plan."

"She betrayed us!" RoaneG growled.

"If it wasn't for Jack I'd agree with you. But they're on our side. Right...Jack?"

"Of course, Doctor."

"I'm assuming Reilly and Zanna are well?"

"Yes. Both are resting. Reilly's like a son to me."

"You know what that boy is?"

"Yes, but it was me who found him abandoned."

"I'd like to talk to Laryn."

"Doctor, she's safe, I swear."

"Jack, do you know what she is?" Atheyr sat down his cup and stared unblinkingly into Jack's eyes.

"Yes. A Time Lord, like you."

"I need to talk to her. Where is she?"

"Down in the lab."

"What? What lab? Why is she in the lab?"

"Doctor you can trust me. I swear she's safe, we aren't doing experiments on her. She's good friends with our Lead in Science."

"You gave away my job?"

"You haven't claimed it in the past two hundred years."

"Fair enough. Anyway, I'd like to see her."

Jack looked at him to RoaneG to RoaneB, "Are you sure you should be moving around?"

"Jack, I'm not going to ask again."

"Alright then." Jack stood up and Atheyr followed suit. RoaneG and RoaneB followed them nervously out of the room into a hallway lined with windows. They couldn't see much passed the clouds, revealing that they were suspended up in the air.

"Oh right, welcome aboard the Steadfast, Mark 9. They wanted to call it the Valiant. But I wouldn't allow it."

When they entered the labs all of the scientists froze in their work to salute him. He waved them off and they went back to their work. Jack led them into the office in the back of the lab. It was just as nice as Jack's office, just a tad smaller. Sitting on another comfy sofa was Laryn. She had her feet up and she was reading a book. She put it down as Jack and the others entered. Sitting at the desk was a man. He looked to be in his mid forties. His scruffy red hair was littered with silver and his eyes looked as if they were made with liquid gold. He didn't stand until he saw Atheyr.

"An honor, an absolute honor to have you here. Please have a seat!" The man spoke, overly excited as he greeted them. He came around the desk and shook Atheyr's hand.

"Well, Hello. Who are you?"

"Dr. Milos Raeburn, please just call me Milos."

"Right Milos... And Laryn." Atheyr turned to sit close to her, the twins found their own seats. "Doing alright there?"

"Yes. We're all quite well." She said patting her stomach.

"Let me get some refreshments." Milos said. He turned around and rummaged through a cabinet.

"You never told me you knew Jack." Atheyr spoke to Laryn.

"I didn't think it necessary at the time."

"Here we are!" Announced Milos. He sat down a plate of Jammie dodgers onto the coffee table, not unlike the one in Jack's office.

Distracted by the aroma, Atheyr turned back and picked one up, he nearly inhaled it before reaching for a second. "I love Jammie Dodgers. Best kind of biscuit out there."

"I thought you liked the banana wafers?" Jack asked.

"Of course I like them, but this regeneration prefers Jammie Dodgers." Atheyr answered as he shoveled the biscuits into his mouth. "So, Milos Raeburn, how did you come by owning Amelia Pond's childhood home?

"What?" Asked RoaneB.

"The house in Leadworth the Ghost lead us to. You said it was owned by a Milos Raeburn and behold this man here."

"No way." RoaneB said turning to stare at Milos Raeburn.

"Well yes, it is my house. Its been in my family since the Ponds sold it in back in the 21st century.

"And who is your family?" Atheyr continued.

"Doctor, there's no need to interrogate the man." Jack said with a hint of amusement.

"I'm just trying to find out all the details. And an explanation as to why there is yet another Time Lord in the room."

Jack didn't say anything.

"You knew. Of course you knew. Why didn't you tell me, or try to contact me? After everything we've been through. And here we are five Time Lords in the room while I spent all those years alone, thinking I was alone."

"How about this Doctor," Milos spoke up, "Lets go have breakfast and I'll try to explain everything."

"Alright, lets have breakfast."

"In New York, I have the perfect place in mind. I'm sure you lot can't survive just on tea and Jammie Dodgers."

"That's debatable." Atheyr muttered. "Alright fine, but I do expect proper explanations." He said as he pointed at Milos. "How soon until we arrive?"

"Actually we're there already." Jack answered.

Atheyr took a glance at him, trying to figure him out. "Alright well lets do this."


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 16 The Heavenly Host_

Milos lead the way into the _Heavenly Host Diner_. Laryn and Jack had stayed on board, Jack's excuse had been to give them so privacy, Laryn said she was too tired. Atheyr complained about their armed guard who followed them in and each one stood at each entry point. Milos tried to explain it was for their own protection but Atheyr countered it with "I never feel safe when there's a gun in the room." So Milos ordered them out of sight. Atheyr didn't like it but it was better than 'in sight'.

"Why this place? Out of all the millions of diners on Earth you choose a tiny one in New York...Why?" Atheyr asked as he ate his breakfast. Pancakes and syrup and eggs and sausage with orange juice, it was delicious. Both RoaneG and RoaneB settled for butter and jam on toast. He glanced at them, they weren't feeling well, he could see it on their faces.

"This one's been in the Raeburn family for a long time."

"Right, okay, so your story then?"

Milos gently put his fork down and looked directly into the Doctor's eyes, he spoke quietly and seriously, "Doctor, a loom was found."

Atheyr dropped his fork and it clattered loudly on his plate.

"A what?" RoaneG asked.

"Say it again." Atheyr whispered.

"A loom."

"How many more are there?"

"Montmore, what is he talking about?" RoaneB asked.

Atheyr sighed heavily. "A loom, for-" He closed his eyes and rubbed his face before continuing, "For a while there was a curse placed on Time Lords so that we couldn't have children. So our President, Rassilon came up with the looms. It took the DNA of the Time Lords to make a new one. Before the Time War I helped to end the curse and there was no need for them. They were destroyed."

"Except for one." Milos added.

"Yeah, 'cept for one." Atheyr echoed quietly, "But where did they get the parenting DNA?"

Milos didn't say anything he just folded his arms and stared at the Doctor.

"Me...they got it from me. Didn't they?"

"Yes, they couldn't get past the Time-Lock, no one can. But they had access to Earth, it wasn't hard to sneak a DNA sample from you without being noticed."

"How many more of us is there?"

"Just me..I escaped when I was young and the place was destroyed. I ended up on Earth a few hundred years ago, joined a human family and grew up here."

"Can you regenerate?"

"Such a personal question...but yes."

"Why didn't you try to come find me?"

"There were more important things to do."

"Like?"

Milos looked down to RoaneB and RoaneG, "Like protecting my family."

"What?" The twins asked together.

"Let me tell you my story. I had a daughter, half human, half Time Lord," He looked at Atheyr then back to the twins. "I wasn't the best of fathers. And Gina...that was her name...she ran away. I searched for her for a long time, but I couldn't find her. I ran into Lady Laryn, I hadn't seen her in a long time, but I'd asked her to look out for her, my long lost daughter. One night Laryn invited me over and there in her home was a boy. Named Zach."

"Zach Roane was our father!" RoaneB nearly shouted, drawing the gaze of other patrons. He lowered his head slightly embarrassed but his eyes were on Milos.

"Yes. And his mother, your grandmother was Gina, my lost girl. I tried to keep Zach and Laryn safe, but Zach never saw me as his grandfather, didn't make sense to him. A guy who looks barely ten years older than him as a granddad? It was too strange for him. But when I learned they'd taken my family I joined U.N.I.T. To bring them down."

"You're our great-great grandfather?" RoaneG asked.

"Yes."

"But wait you said you were made in the Loom thing from the Doctor's DNA..." RoaneB looked at Atheyr.

"And here we are, found family at last."

Atheyr pushed his plate away, his appetite suddenly gone, his head spun with all the new information. He had children...no, the Doctor had children. But really...just to think he actually had kids, descendants to care for. They weren't screaming at him for ending their planet, they were offering him a family a new life. Oh the things he could teach them about the Time Lord culture...and the culture could change too, to see the beauty in all things. He wouldn't ever. Ever be alone ever again.

"All of Time and Space...we could spend it together." Atheyr whispered. Milos smiled, a sad look in his eyes. A hurt there. Atheyr nearly missed it for an explosion of glass had him pushing RoaneG down to the floor.

"Get down!" Someone shouted, someone screamed and suddenly there was cold air whooshing into the diner. Plates and food and broken glass lay everywhere.

"What's happening?" RoaneG yelled.

"I don't know." Atheyr answered back. Milos was dragging RoaneB towards the bar, hoping to find some shelter. But it was too late. A small point in the center of his forehead leaked blood and the back of his head was wet and stringy. Milos noticed at the same time and left him.

"Behind the counter!" He yelled at Atheyr and RoaneG, but RoaneG had noticed her brother and pulled away from Atheyr. She cradled her brother in her arms and wept, begging him to wake up.

"Not now RoaneG, you have to take cover!" Atheyr told her, trying to pull her back behind the counter. Bullets were flying around the diner and the answering bullets of their armed guard fired back.

"No, leave me alone! Abel, Abel wake up its me, Aisha, please wake up!"

"Its too late, he's gone, I'm sorry RoaneG, we have to get out of the line of fire." He grabbed her shoulders from behind to pull her back. She fought and struggled until Atheyr heard a p_inging_ sound. Blood splattered Atheyr as the bullet exited through the back of her neck. It came to a stop when it embedded itself in Atheyr's shoulder. RoaneG fell limp in Atheyr's arms. Adrenaline pumped through Atheyr's veins as he clung onto RoaneG. She struggled to breathe and blood poured from her lips. Her eyes focused on his only for a moment before they rolled back into her head.

"No!" Atheyr screamed, but when he shifted a screaming pain in his shoulder made him stiffen and collapse to the floor, RoaneG still in his arms. He yelled at the pain and blinked because light blinded his eyes, a cold white room suddenly replaced the destroyed diner. RoaneG was gone and Dr. Roane and Dr. Vermaak stood over him, scalpels in their hands. He struggled to get away but hey had him strapped down. Every movement caused fire to incinerate his chest and arm. He would not be taken back, he was not an experiment. He was living and he would not be taken back. Atheyr cried at the pinch in his arm. "No, no, no!" He yelled, but the sedative took hold of him, forcing his body to go limp and his eyes to shut.

Atheyr's eyes snapped open in horror. He was on a gurney and he had been strapped down. Surgeons moved in and out of his line of sight. "Please not again!" He tried to call about, but they put a mask over his face, pumping poisoned air into his lungs, forcing him back into a dreamless sleep. He didn't want to end up in the morgue again.

Atheyr coughed, trying to rid the poison from his lungs. Struggling to get up, he found himself still tied down. He forced his tired eyes open, he was in a quiet room with a curtain drawn around him, sufficiently hiding his environment from him. He pulled at the straps, panic quickly set in. His shoulder burned when he moved his left arm, he cried out again and laid back. He didn't notice the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Sssh." A gentle voice commanded. Atheyr looked up, startled and surprised to see Jack looking down at him.

"Let me go, please!" Atheyr cried, panic rose to the surface and he fought the straps once more.

"You have to calm yourself first." Jack told him. Atheyr stopped his struggle and laid still. He worked hard to calm his panic.

"You have to help me get out of here, before Dr. Vermaak comes back!" He told him in a frightened whisper.

"Doctor, you need to calm down." He told him. " Vermaak isn't here, I swear. I was in the room during the surgery to make sure they didn't harm you."

Atheyr tried to relax, to remain calm, but he struggled. His breathing quickened when he remembered RoaneG and RoaneB and all the blood. "RoaneG, RoaneB...where are they...?!" Atheyr stared at Jack when he pushed the hair from out of his eyes, before Atheyr could ask what he was doing, he had pulled away again.

"They...they didn't make it." He told him quietly. Atheyr closed his eyes, it wasn't true.

"Who was the shooter?" Atheyr asked, vengeance already growing strong in his mind.

"A loyalty member of the Facility." Jack told him, "We took him out. He can't ever hurt anyone again."

Atheyr clenched his fists tight, still strapped down, but the fight went out of him and sadness overtook him. "Release me." He whispered, nearly in tears. Jack obeyed him and Atheyr sat up and rubbed at his wrists. He pulled the wires and tubes from his body and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. He swayed slightly from the quick movement and pushed Jack away when he tried to help.

"Where are my clothes?" Atheyr asked, he glared at Jack, hoping it would slow the spinning of the room.

"Its here." Jack told him. He placed them next to Atheyr's hand on the bed.

Atheyr quickly dressed himself and then stood up. "I want to see them." When Jack didn't respond Atheyr turned back to glare at him some more, "I want to see RoaneB and RoaneG."

Jack sighed but led him out of the room and into the morgue. They weren't the only bodies covered in sheets. "The shooter took out three of my men." Jack told him.

"I'm sorry." Atheyr whispered as Jack pulled back the sheets covering RoaneB and RoaneG. "I need some time." Atheyr told Jack.

"Okay." Jack was hesitant to leave, but another, final glare from Atheyr had him backing out of the room and closing the door.

Atheyr wept.

"I'm sorry, so sorry." He looked at their pale blue bodies. This was wrong all wrong. The humans would bury them, and that would be wrong. He needed to build their pyres, he needed to give them a proper Time Lord funeral. After all they were his great-great-great-grandchildren. He bowed his head, allowing for the tears to flow freely. How cruel was the universe? To give him what he always wanted, a family! And now to suddenly have it taken away? How was he supposed to go on?

"Jack, I said I needed time." Atheyr spoke out when he heard the door open and footsteps approach.

"I'm not Jack." Atheyr turned slightly to see Milos.

"We can't keep them here and bury them like a human they were so much more and deserve-"

"What do you know of what they deserve?" Milos voice became hard and cold.

Atheyr looked up, "They need to be buried like the Time Lords they were."

Milos shook his head, "They grew up as Humans, they didn't know any other life, you couldn't possibly know what they wanted."

"Please." Atheyr whispered.

"You lied to me."

"What?" Atheyr looked back.

"I thought you were the Doctor, but you aren't."

"This isn't the time and place."

"This is. You're not him, you are a copy. I told you all those things only to discover you have nothing to do with my family. And to believe you'd let them die."

"I didn't mean for them to die!"

"It's your fault!"

"I did what I could!"

"If you didn't make such a big deal about the guards PROTECTING us Aisha and Abel would still be alive, not to mention three other men!" Milos towered over Atheyr. Atheyr was backed up to the wall with his hands in front of him defensively.

"I'm sorry."

Milos shook his head. "You let die all I had left of my daughter, I never want to see your face again."

Atheyr stared at him his mouth agape, he didn't dare argue back, because Milos was right. It was his fault. It was always his fault. He always put them in danger, every single one of them.

"Get out of here!" Milos snarled at Atheyr and Atheyr left.

He grimaced at the pain in his shoulder and gasped sharply as his broken ribs protested when he ran. Atheyr didn't look back. He passed up Jack on the way out, but he couldn't stop. He ran to the transporter and teleported back down into the cold streets of New York City in the winter. It was late and dark but he didn't care, he needed to run and he did. He ran through ice and snow, through slushy dirty puddles and across streets. It had been a long time since he ran like this. He didn't have a destination, he just wanted to get away. Away from everyone who had hurt him at the Facility, away from his own guilt. Away from the 24th century, away from the Doctor who zoomed around in his blue box. Atheyr just wanted to run. He didn't note the drop in the temperature. He didn't notice how wet and soggy his shoes were. He just went on and on. He ignored all the people who walked passed. He just wanted to run.

At last he came to an hesitated stop. It was getting late and the snow pounded down from the sky. It was hard to see a foot in front of him. White snow covered everything. His wet clothes made him shiver in the cold hair. His shoulder ached and throbbed. Wishing he had a hot cuppa, he found himself outside of a yellow taped police line that stopped the entry into an old retro diner. He stepped over the threshold, he didn't know what happened to the door. It was still a mess, but now snow blended in with the glass.

He dusted off the booth he'd sat in with RoaneG. His tears froze before they could reach his chin. He ignored the cold. His eyes unfocused. He found himself back at the same place, where it happened. He didn't mean to come here. It was in this place that he had known happiness, a family. And then it shattered just like the glass. Atheyr put his head in his hands. Milos was right, it was his fault...he should have protected them better.

The sound of something being set before him made Atheyr look up. A cup of hot steaming tea sat before him. He stared at it, trying to make sense of it. The diner was in utter ruin and he was alone. A flash of gold made him look up. A girl sat across from him. Both blue and green eyes stared at him and she seemed to be solid there in the darkness.

"You-?" He started.

"Hello, Montmorency." The girl's mouth moved and a radio that somehow survived the Diner's onslaught spoke her words. Atheyr glanced at the speakers in the ceiling before looking back at her.

"Uxia...Why are you here?" Atheyr asked, trying to make sense of the apparition.

"To help you. Can you believe that it all starts here?" She asked him.

"No" He disagreed. "This is the end."

"You have no idea, Montmorency. No clue. Of course this isn't the end...for either of us, any of us. It is just the beginning. This is where it all begins."

"You are wrong, this is the end, there are no beginnings here. This is where their lives ended. Where all happiness ended. Where it was stolen from us. How could this ever be the beginning of anything good?" Atheyr asked her.

"Montmorency, we've met before...you and I." She told him.

Atheyr sent her a glare and then looked out of the window. Seeing nothing. The street lights only illuminated the heavy falling snow. "You're probably talking about my other...the Doctor." Atheyr told her. "Not me."

"Oh no, it is you. Absolutely you, Montmorency. Not the Doctor. Not this time. You are an honorable man, Montmorency." She told him. "You experienced Hell and then dived into its heart to save a group of people you had never met. That makes you special and worthy. And you deserve more than what you have received."

"I don't deserve anything, RoaneG...RoaneB they're dead..." Atheyr whispered.

"I know, But that doesn't matter. Remembering them is enough."

"Go away." Atheyr told her.

The ghost sighed. "I wanted to thank you for saving my friends."

Atheyr looked back at her. "Why didn't you help them?"

"I couldn't, it would have broken my protocol. And then my program would have ended and I would be unable to move freely. Some things I have managed to learn how to manipulate, but outside of a computer mainframe it is increasingly difficult. It took me twenty years to learn how to transport objects the size and weight of that cup of tea. But enough about me. Because it has nothing to do with me. And all to do with you." Uxia smiled. "I know what you desire and I shall grant it on one condition."

"I want my family back, alive and well." Atheyr paused, "What condition?"

"Remember me." Uxia smiled. "There's a message, but don't watch it until you found them." She put her hands together and they flickered and became transparent like a hologram. They vanished for a moment then were reconstructed, holding a leather object out to him. She placed it carefully onto the table. Atheyr furled his eyebrows in surprise and confusion. He reached out for it. It was solid and real.

"Found-...How did you know...?" He asked. When he looked up the girl had vanished. Atheyr stared at the object for a long time. He looked once more out at the snow. Then he pulled the strap onto his wrist and programmed the vortex manipulator. With a spark and a crackle the young man vanished from the table, leaving a steaming cup of tea behind in the ruined diner.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Going Home

The sudden shift through the time vortex disorientated him. Unshielded and unprotected, Atheyr was flung through the untempered schism. All of space and time swirled around him until the dizziness turned to nausea. His skin prickled and itched as the energy of the vortex manipulator dragged him back in time. Then all at once he zapped into place. He gripped onto the first object he saw, the edge of a table, and held onto it while he waited for his brain to realize he had made it out of the vortex. Despite the cheap and nasty time travel of the vortex manipulator, Atheyr's hearts pounded with excitement, it made it easy to push his suffering to the back of his mind. He felt like his old self again, a time traveler. It took Atheyr a couple of minutes to collect himself from the violent trip through time. When he was sure the room wouldn't spin, he opened his eyes. His lips parted in surprise, the edge of the table he gripped was identical to the one from the 24th century. He hadn't moved, he was in the exact same place he was before he activated the manipulator.

The Retro Diner _The Heavenly Host_ was no longer in shambles. The light was bright and the room was warm. Everything looked new, the polished metal shined, the wood was smooth and the paint smelled fresh even the scenery outside of the window a new, clean snow fall. Atheyr could not see past the thick curtain of snow, it kept the view beyond it unknown. Atheyr knew the year was 1955 one year after Amy's book was published, also one year after Tolkien published his fantastical tales of_ The Lord of the Rings_. Atheyr thought about visiting his old friend...Maybe get another signed copy from him. Or maybe get a glimpse at the Silmarillion's manuscript. Shaking his head to help him refocus, Atheyr remembered his real purpose for zapping back in time.

Atheyr glanced around the quiet diner, no one noticed him. Apart from Atheyr, the restaurant was devoid of customers. He heard footsteps and clinking from the back kitchen, but he saw no one. He decided it would be best to leave, he did not have a good explanation for his sudden appearance. He moved towards the door, but before he could slip away a familiar face caught his eye.

"River?"

He took a step away from the door. His eyes locked onto her signature curly hair. There were a thousand secrets hidden in those eyes and a tease tugging at the corner of her lips. River Song, mysterious woman who was in prison for a good man's murder. Atheyr had never learned who she killed, but he had a guess. Atheyr stepped closer to the wall and frame that held the black and white photo of River Song. In four hundred and twelve years the photo would be removed. Atheyr had not seen it before...in the future. His finger traced the glass, he wondered how she managed to turn up here. Why would the Doctor abandon Amy and Rory to this time...? Surely River would help them?

"That's Melody Malone." An unexpected voice answered a question unasked. Atheyr turned back to see a young black woman, she had not been there the moment before. Atheyr cataloged the woman's appearance. The young lady held a no nonsense disposition, Atheyr guessed she was in her early twenties. Her red diner uniform was in perfect order, though her originally white apron held a few stains. Her intelligent black eyes seemed too old for her young face and her hair was pulled back in a tight bun; not a single strand curled out of place. "The shop was renamed after her book. There is a long story that goes with that lady, besides her detective novels. But we made a promise. If she ever turn up, her lunch and tea's on the house." She continued.

"Do you see her often?"

"She comes around a couple times a month. She's a firecracker, she always turns up when we least expect it."

"I don't doubt it."

"And then there's that publisher of hers, she's all fire, that one. She's a regular here as well and when they're together you know they're sisters, there's no way for them not to be."

Atheyr's eyes brightened. "Her name wouldn't happen to be Amy Pond would it?"

"No sir, Her name is Amelia Williams, she comes in every now and then."

Atheyr winced at his mistake, but tried to remain cheerful, "You wouldn't happen to know where she lives, would you...?"

The young lady folded her arms and stared him down. She stood her ground, standing firm, "And why would you need to know that?" She asked.

"I've been looking for her."

"Uh, excuse me sir, no way am I going to give a strange foreigner my friends address. It just ain't gonna happen!"

"No, its okay, we're friends."

"You didn't even know her name."

"Her maiden name is Pond and Amy is short for Amelia. She has red hair, green eyes, she's very Scottish. She wrote Summer Falls, she used my name in that story."

"What name?"

"Montmorency."

"I don't know about that."

"Well I also know her husband is Rory Williams, great guy, big nose. He's a nurse...I bet he's a nurse...still, probably a brilliant nurse..."

The woman stared at him, "Her husband is a doctor, sir."

"Well good for him! Now, can you tell me their address...please." Atheyr begged.

She didn't seem convinced. She shook her head and sighed. "I have work to do, sir." She turned back to the counter, wiping it down with a rag.

Atheyr followed her while she worked. "What's your name?" He thought if he could connect to her, she'd change her mind.

But she didn't answer him instead she said, "If you wanna stay, then you need to order something." When she looked up again she avoided his gaze, she looked at the clock on the wall above the counter. It read 8:45. "Wait a moment sir." And she disappeared into the back room. When she came back out again, she held a book in her hand and she was looking from Atheyr then back to the book. "Just because your name is in the book doesn't mean you know her."

Atheyr sighed. "Ah, I know. But thanks for your help."

"I wasn't very helpful I'm afraid."

"Ah well not telling strangers her address is keeping her safe. To think I've come all the way from Leadworth to get lost now." He muttered to himself with a sad smile.

"Wait, sir!" The girl called out to him, Atheyr turned back, raising his eye brows in concern. She fretted for a moment and bit her lip, then she hurried and took his hand again. She led him to one of the stools by the counter and motioned for him to sit. "Sir, your hand is as cold as ice. Why don't you come and take a seat I'll fix ya a nice cup of tea!"

"I haven't got a way to pay for it..." He repeated, his forehead still wrinkled in confusion.

"This one's on the house. I can tell when a good soul needs a cup of hot tea." She waited for him to sit before she went back around the counter. She spoke as she prepared his drink, "I don't like to get caught up in gangs and murders. I don't trust strangers with any extra information they have no business knowing."

"Not telling me shows how clever you are. You're protecting her and that proves you are a good friend. Not only good but wise beyond your years." Atheyr told her, not wanting to discourage her from doing what is right.

"Yeah well, as a black orphaned girl, you have to learn fast. No time for playing with dolls and tea parties." She set the cup of steaming hot tea in front of Atheyr. Atheyr looked at her with sad eyes. He didn't speak, he was sorry that he, that the Doctor could not save every child. "What's your name?"

"Sibonakaliso Burns, Naka for short."

"Beautiful name Naka."

"Thanks...So you're from Leadworth too?" Naka wondered.

His cup clinked against the saucer as he set it down. "I'm a friend of the family. Amelia's my friend, my very best friend. She doesn't know I'm visiting, well relocating..I had her address for letters, but I lost it."

Naka sighed heavily, giving up, she scribbled onto her note pad by the register. She tore it off and folded it in half. She held it in her hand. "You gotta promise me you aren't gonna harm her, she's a very dear friend of mine and if I find out that you've been rude, I will find you!" She placed the creased paper next to his saucer. Atheyr stared at the folded paper. "Its just down the street from here, the blue one." Naka told him.

"I swear, I'll protect her with my life, all my lives." He spoke quickly as he reached out for it. His finger tips grazed the thin paper and froze there. He looked back up to Naka's intense gaze. "I thought you wanted to protect her...?"

"I do, but I know who you are and your story makes sense."

Perplexed and nervous he asked, "Who am I?"

"You're Barnabas, from _Summer Falls_. You were right, she did write you into that story. I would have never guessed she'd actually base him off of a real person. You must be special." Naka replied.

Atheyr took a deep breath, stood up and straightened his bow tie. "Thank you" He bowed his head to Naka. He picked up the paper and looked at the neat hand writing, reading the address. Then he turned for the door. He pushed it open, sending the bell at the top into motion and sound. The snow continued to rush from the sky. The crisp air helped him to clear his thinking, excitement pounded in his chest. He took a deep breath and then went back into the diner.

Naka's head came up in surprise, Atheyr pointed at her. "If you need anything, anything at all, let me know, I'll see what I can do. I owe you one!" He told her with a smile.

"How?" She asked.

"Make a wish, that works..." He smiled at her and then went back out into the winter air. This time when he ran, it wasn't to get away. He was running to her, to be the hero she always thought him to be. Atheyr could not believe his fortune, he didn't really believe in luck to begin with. However the green and blue-eyed girl was right. That diner was where it all began. Amy's house sat only two blocks from the diner. Atheyr turned left down West 85th Street. Her smiling face blossomed in his mind, he was going to see her again.

Filled with excitement and lost in deep concentration, he searched through the many doors he passed, looking for the blue one. Atheyr's focus scanned both sides of the street, he didn't pay attention to the sidewalk. Suddenly his feet hit a large patch of black ice. His momentum from running sent him sailing across it and landing face first into a big pile of snow. Coughing on the dirty slush that made its way into his nose and mouth, Atheyr fought to find his feet and balance. Using his left arm to push himself up sent an angry jolt of pain into his shoulder causing him to fall back into the wet snow. He laid there, waiting for the damaged nerves to settle, the coldness of the snow and ice helped immensely. After another moment he found he could move again, pushing up with his right arm he climbed out of the snow. He shook his head like a cat with wet fur and he rubbed the ice crystals from his eyes. Disorientated from the fall he turned in a 360 degree circle. Then he stopped, his eyes glued to the sight before him. Just a few feet and five steps up stood a blue door.

Atheyr reached a hand out to rap on the smooth wood. He hesitated, he couldn't remember climbing up the stairs to the small porch. His hand hovered over the Tardis Blue paint. Suddenly seized with anxiety and fear he remembered his bad dreams. Her echoing voice of his crimes against her...of the Doctor's crimes. Atheyr shuddered and took in a deep breath. He closed his eyes, pushing the thoughts back. It was just a dream. Just a bad dream. He pushed forward and knocked on the door.

The door opened slowly and he stood still as a statue. A ginger haired woman stood before him. Her green eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Atheyr found his own mouth open, but unable to speak. He let his hand fall to his side as it had been frozen in place from where he had knocked. The two stared at each other, speechless. When Atheyr finally found his voice, Amy's expression changed to fear and anger. She slammed the door shut.

"A-Amy?" Atheyr called out. He tried the door, but Amy locked it in her rage. He placed his ear against the door and heard her footsteps back away and fade. She spoke to someone, her tone filled with distraught. Horrified, Atheyr stepped back. He didn't know what he did wrong, he didn't know what the Doctor had done. Why was Amy afraid? Quickly being buried in dark thoughts, Atheyr sagged. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. Atheyr looked at the vortex manipulator on his wrist, it still tingled from his last trip. He didn't know where he would go.

At the sound of the door opening again, Atheyr dropped his hand to his side. He straightened his back and looked up. There Rory stood. Rory gave Atheyr a hard look. Rory leaned out and poked Atheyr in the chest, testing to see if he was real or not. "Hello again." Rory told him, his face expressionless and unreadable.

"Hello." Atheyr cleared his throat, he didn't know why it sounded so raspy all of the sudden.

"Well c'mon in before we let all the warm air out." When Atheyr didn't move Rory grabbed the front of his coat and pulled him in through the door. "You've been running around out there in wet clothes, do you have a death wish?" Rory asked him. Atheyr managed to shake his head, he was frozen. Rory rolled his eyes and led Atheyr into the sitting room. "Sorry about Amy, after everything, well she's dreamed you up more than once. I have to say I didn't believe her when she said you were at the door. Have a seat, Doctor." Atheyr slowly sank into the comfy couch. "Wait here, Amy needs to know she's not having a psychotic break, again." Rory left Atheyr alone.

Atheyr dropped his head into his hands. This wasn't going as he thought it would. He expected at least a hug from Amy, but then again, something bad must have happened between her and the Doctor. He ground his teeth in fury for that man. If he had hurt her, Atheyr would have no problems tearing him apart.

"Doctor?" That familiar Scottish voice asked. Atheyr's head shot up and he jumped to his feet. Amy slowly came into the room. She scratched at her elbow, but her eyes looked into his soul.

"Amy- I...I'm sorry." He told her.

"Doctor, it's really you...this isn't a dream...?" She asked. "I mean I trust Rory to tell the truth, but he's lied to me in my dreams before."

"No, Amy this is real, I swear to you I am real." Atheyr took a step towards her, but she jerked back and grimaced in fear. Her violent reaction sent a shard of ice into his hearts. She was afraid of him and that hurt.

"Doctor, Doctor I'm not afraid of you." Reading his expression, she took a tentative step towards him and touched his cheek. "I'm afraid that this is just a dream and when I wake up in the morning you'll be gone again." She looked at him, memorizing his every feature, with her free hand she pushed his hair out of his eyes.

Her eyes had obvious lines around them and he could see many strands of silver turned hair. She was much older than he had expected. "Amy-, I'm so sorry, I'm going to take you home right now, I'm going to fix everything." To his surprise Amy smiled.

"My Raggedy Man, my foolish Raggedy Man. I am home already. This has been my home for seventeen years. I can't go back. You know that, you nostalgic idiot." But she pulled him into a gentle hug. "I have missed you so much." She told him.

He hugged her back, ignoring the pressure put against his shoulder. Amy's ginger hair stuck to his cheek. When he pulled the strands loose from his face, he found his own cheek wet, wet with his tears. When she pulled away she took his hand and held it tightly. "Doctor, you are positively soaked through! We need to get you into something dry before hypothermia sets in."

"Amy...I'm a Time Lord, remember? I won't get hypothermia, I can barely feel the cold anyhow."

"You've soaked my sweater...I know a nice cuppa will do. Come along Doctor." Amy's demeanor had shifted fully from fear and rage. Rory and Atheyr could both clearly see a seven year old ginger haired child pulling Atheyr into the kitchen.

Amy put the tea kettle on and set out cups. She took her time with it, using only one hand, the other held Atheyr's hand tightly. "You can let go Amy, I'm not going anywhere."

Amy looked at him with a smile. "You say that, but I'm not letting go." Having the cups set out, with her free hand she held his face. "Oh Doctor, tell me you have someone to travel with, please. I'm so happy you're here...But I just don't know how you managed it."

"What do you mean?"

"Us getting stuck back here, I always thought it would tear you apart to visit us. I thought it would be too painful for you. It's been Seventeen years for us, and I was never angry at you. You have to know that I never blamed you."

"I'm going to fix everything." Atheyr told her. "Make up for leaving you here."

Amy shook her head, "No, there's nothing you can do."

"Never say nothing." Atheyr told her.

"No really..." Her face scrunched up in confusion... "Doctor...you know we can't go with you. You know that...right?" Atheyr stared at her. He wanted to take her back home now. So much he wanted her to be happy. Amy still held his hand and she pulled it up. Her index finger traced the worn leather of the vortex manipulator. "Doctor...?" She looked back up at him. "Doctor, you do remember why we can't go back with you...don't you?"

Atheyr grimaced and looked away. That shard of ice embedded in his hearts grew. What if she didn't accept him?

"Doctor?" Amy guided his face so that he was looking at her again. "You don't remember? How could you have forgotten?"

Atheyr shuddered and breathed deeply to try and calm himself, "Amy, I'm the Flesh Doctor."

Amy let go of his hand, and it stung. His hand physically hurt from the release. Amy took a step back and looked him over. Her eyes moved quickly, accounting for his blue jeans and tennis shoes, his tweed less windbreaker jacket and the way he held his left arm closely to his chest. Finally her eyes came to a rest on his maroon bow tie. Her eyes slowly connected with his gaze. "You survived." Her stare left Atheyr breathless and speechless. "But you're the Doctor and you survived." Her lips tugged into a smile. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, tears brimmed. She came back into his space and hugged him again. "I'm so glad." She told him. And this time the hug felt as if it belonged to him, not stolen from the Doctor.

They were forced apart by the scream of the kettle, prompting Amy to turn off the stove and pour the boiling water into the cups. They sat down at her kitchen table and Rory joined them.

"Wow, Doctor, this is beyond real." Rory told him, then he gave a look. "Should we even call you Doctor...I mean you are the Doctor..."

"If he wasn't wearing a bow tie, I'd assume he was someone else." Amy declared, making Atheyr smile.

"Because bow ties are cool."

Amy shook her head, "No, they're not, but it would be too out of character for you."

"Well we can't just call him the Flesh Doctor." Rory continued, "That is just...not nice."

"Actually I've come up with a name for myself." Atheyr told them.

"Its not John Smith is it?" Rory asked.

Atheyr chuckled, he shook his head 'no', "I'm Montmorency Atheyr."

Both Rory and Amy choked on their tea at the same time. Amy recovered the fastest. She punched him in the arm, sending a jolt of pain into his shoulder, but he kept that hidden from her. "You read my book!" Amy pointed at him. Then a broad smile spread across her face. She sat back down and stopped pointing. "Did you like it...? You didn't like the name Barnabas?"

"Well I had someone give me the nickname Montmore afterward..."

Amy and Rory laughed at that, delight and happiness shone there. "How long are you going to stay?" Rory asked him.

"Well..." Atheyr thought about it.

"You can't just ask him like that, he wanted to take us back to Leadworth."

"But we can't go back, we're going to stay here, nothing we can do about it."

"Why not? Look, the vortex manipulator can easily get you home."

"Doct- Montmore, River has one of those and we've seen often enough, if we could we would. But we can't so it must be left at that." Amy told him.

"Why?!" Atheyr demanded angrily.

Amy sighed, "Its because of the Angels." Atheyr stared at her in horror. "They were using an old hotel as a factory, pulling people back, feeding off of their energy. And then they targeted Rory. We created a paradox, poisoning their food supply stopping all of it..." Amy paused and Rory picked up from there.

"There was a survivor, grabbed me before we made it back into the Tardis."

"And I blinked...I allowed it to take me so I could be with him."

Atheyr's voice was expressionless, he understood now. He didn't look at Amy, he had failed her, he couldn't save her after all. "So the first paradox was extremely dangerous, and if you leave, go back to the future, it could essentially blow up New York..." The Ponds nodded. "You really can't leave..."

"No, we can't." Amy confirmed.

His sad, hearts broken eyes looked back at her. "I'm the Doctor...but I don't have the Tardis, just a wrist band full of cheap tricks." He pulled it off and dropped it unceremoniously onto the table. "I don't know what to do." He told Amy. "I don't know where to go and I don't want to travel alone."

Amy shared a thought in a look with a Rory. Atheyr caught the exchange but did not know what they were thinking. Rory sighed heavily, but then nodded. Amy smiled and looked back at Atheyr. She put her hand over his. "Do- Montmore, why don't you stay with us for a while. Live in New York City, for now. Its the slow path for us. But you don't have to be alone, you have a family right here who will love you and take care of you."

"Of course you can't be a moocher." Rory warned him, "You have to get a job and it might be a good idea for you to get your own place."

"He could have the attic, we can set something up for you." Amy suggested. "A nice little study to keep your brain busy while the rest of us sleep." Amy told him with a smile.

"But you'll need to help with chores around the house, this isn't like the time you came to stay, we don't have loads of free time to play on the Wii...we don't have a Wii to play on the Wii... There's the laundry, sweeping, mopping, dishes, the lawn..."

"When did I stay-?" Atheyr asked.

"I mean...when the Doctor stayed..." Rory amended.

"But those first four days you flipped and forgot about Brian in the Tardis." Amy laughed.

"Whose Brian?"

"My dad." Rory explained. "Wow, you missed quite a lot...Um..."

"There were these cubes, yeah? We thought it was an alien invasion, it ended up being the Shakri trying to wipe out humanity, we blew up his spaceship..." Amy explained a smile on her face.

"Wait, no the Shakri is a myth-"

"A bed time story told to kids on Gallifrey. Yeah the Doctor said that too."

Atheyr gaped at her, then closed his mouth. His expression changed to surprise. "And you blew up the Shakri?"

"They did try to kill all of the humans..."

Atheyr shrugged, "Fair enough. How did...uh" He glanced at Rory, "Brian take in all of this alien stuff?"

"He took it really well. And he liked investigating it." Rory told him. "I mean, he was already used to everything thanks to our unprecedented adventure with the dinosaurs."

"We got to see dinosaurs? When?" Atheyr's eyes brightened.

"That was about seventeen years ago." Amy complained. "I don't remember the year, it was in the future, you- the Doctor brought along Queen Nefertiti and A guy called Ridel."

"You materialized around us while my Dad was trying to change the light bulb in our sitting room. It was quite a shock to him."

"There were dinosaurs on an old Silurian Ark and it was on a crash course with the Earth and then some Indian lady thought it would be clever to send up missiles."

"And Me and my Dad flew the ship out of the way." Rory finished.

The Ponds smiled at Atheyr's dropped jaw. He stared at them a long time without speaking.

"Montmore?" Amy asked in concern.

"Do you have paper and a pen?" Atheyr asked suddenly.

"Uh, yeah hang on." Amy retrieved a pad and a pencil. Atheyr went to work sketching and within a minute had drawn the spaceship he had seen in 2367. "That's it, that's the Silurian Ark!" Amy declared.

Atheyr plummeted his head into the table. He was so...

"Montmore...?" Amy poked his head.

Atheyr looked back up, a red patch formed on his forehead from where he had bumped it. "I was there." He told her. "I was in Plymouth. While you were adventuring with the Doctor I was in Plymouth...I missed you by like...a week."

Amy stared at Atheyr. "What were you doing in Plymouth?"

Atheyr breathed deeply. "My surviving...I had help...A strange organization called the Facility resurrected me. They weren't very nice...Anyway, no need to worry about that." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, RoaneG's broken body flashed before him and he grimaced.

"Its okay, Montmore, you're with us, you're safe." Amy told him.

"I'm still kicking myself mentally for missing you and the Doctor." Atheyr shook his head, trying to push the memory back.

"Don't worry about it. And that's an order." Amy told him. Atheyr gave her a grateful look and they were both quiet for a moment.

Rory stifled a yawn and stood up. "Well since Montmore is going to be staying with us I'm going to expect to see him in the morning and go to bed. I've got to be up at the crack of dawn." Rory announced. "Good night Montmore."

"Night Rory."

"I'll be up in a bit." Amy whispered to him. Rory gave her a kiss and left them alone. "I've got to be up early too, we can talk more then, you can help me with my outing tomorrow." Amy told Atheyr. "I'll set up the couch, though knowing you, you'll probably not want to sleep."

"Amy..." Montmore started, not standing up when she did. She sat back in her seat and waited. "There's one thing...one thing that has been on my mind for a very long time. And I'm sure it was resolved a long time ago...but there's something I need to know."

"Anything." Amy promised.

Montmore inhaled a deep breath, "Before...Before we went to find Canton...You, all three of you knew who sent those letters. You made me trust you, but you wouldn't tell me who or why." Amy pursed her lips, thinking back on the memory. Atheyr spoke quietly. "I was so terrified you were leading me into a trap."

"I know." Amy answered. "But River said it would have been safer not to tell you what we saw. When we ran into you at that diner..."

"You had been crying." Atheyr finished.

"Because the person who sent those letters were you. You from the future. You invited us to see your own death."

"What?"

"We witnessed our own daughter kill my best friend, course we didn't know about River at the time and we didn't know that it wasn't really you. But when I swore on fish fingers and custard, I was trying to protect you from your future." Amy explained quickly, her voice low. "I'm so sorry about all of that."

Atheyr had heard everything she said, but did not understand most of it. However the memory of the Doctor's goodbye flashed forward.

"_And now my death arrives." Atheyr had said, leaning against the heavy door to keep the monster from his friends. _

"_But this one we're not invited to." The Doctor responded._

"He knew...he knew about it, that day that I...was created. You told him."

Amy's mouth opened. "No, I told..." Amy thought about it. "I thought I was telling you, but you must have swapped shoes before then."

Atheyr nodded. "I was struggling, with all of my memories. So many memories. And the knowledge of what I was...Flesh...And you lot, the humans were running for your lives. The Doctor helped me focus and stabilize. We're the same person, were the same person. It was obvious that you wouldn't trust me and that was terrifying so we swapped shoes."

"Wow..." was all she could say.

"Amy, the whole point of going there was to find out more about the Flesh...because the Doctor knew you were Flesh...what happened? Was everything resolved?"

Amy gave a gentle smile, "Yeah, everything was." She stood up from the table, "And if you want to know the rest you have to stick around. I'm going to bed. Lets settle yours and tomorrow we can talk more." She went to a closet and retrieved a blanket, pillow and some sheets. While she set up the couch into a makeshift bed, Atheyr changed out of his wet clothes and into pajamas stolen from Rory. When he came back she had finished, but sitting next to the coffee table in front of the couch was a large basket filled with many different types of electronics.

"That is our recycle bin. We have a bad habit of keeping them, even after they break. I know you don't sleep much and boredom has nearly killed you before. So if you want to work on them to keep busy, that's fine. Just don't make a lot of noise, okay?"

"Amy, I am not a child who needs to be provided with activities." His tone exasperated.

"Of course..." A big grin popped on her face when Atheyr sat down onto the couch and started working on an old radio.

"This will keep me busy for a couple of hours." Atheyr told her. Amy smiled but she didn't leave from her spot. Atheyr looked back up after a few minutes. "Amy...?" Amy's expression had changed from warmth to fear and sadness. Atheyr put down the radio and stood up, he crossed the distance and took her hand in his. "I'm not going anywhere...I swear."

"It still seems too good to be true. I'm afraid you won't be here when I wake up in the morning and I don't think I can deal with that." Amy let tears fall down her cheeks.

"Amy...I-..." He was thoughtful. "Hang on, wait here...right there." Atheyr disappeared from the room and returned a moment later. He took her hand again and placed the vortex manipulator there. "I'm not going to run away from you. I've always been running to you. You are the first face this face saw and since the moment I was resurrected my thoughts have been on you. I don't know who I would be with out you."

"You'd be the Doctor." Amy told him through her tears.

"I don't know if I would. I'm not the Doctor because I want to be...but because you saw me as the Doctor when you looked at me. The Doctor...he...we've had a lot of bad days. As soon as I woke up in 2367 I gave myself the name Atheyr so I wouldn't have to be him anymore. But you...I'll be the Doctor for you." Atheyr's words only served to make her cry harder. He put his fingers under her chin and looked into her eyes. "I swear I won't go anywhere. You hold onto this, I can't go far with out it. Just...don't activate it...New York is quite lovely and I'd rather not blow it up before its time."

His words brought a smile and she threw her arms around him. The force of her hug slammed into his shoulder. An involuntary gasp escaped from his lips and his body went limp.

"Doctor?!" Amy took on his full weight and she struggled with him. She carefully maneuvered him to the couch as he gaped in pain. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

Atheyr clenched his teeth and he clamped his hand over his left shoulder. "I'm okay" his voice was tight, suggesting that he was not okay at all.

She glared at him through her worry. "That's a bloody lie, what's wrong?"

"Just...an accident, its okay."

"No you are not. Tell me now, or I'll get Rory."

Atheyr rolled his eyes. "I...was hurt...I got shot at before I made it back. Its still quite sensitive...But I'll be fine. A couple of healing sessions and it'll mend."

"You were shot?" Amy looked him over, worry cut deep into her face, making her look older again.

"Don't worry, the wound isn't that deep and the bullet has been removed. Most of it has healed already...Its just located in a bad spot." Atheyr told her, trying to catch his breath.

"Maybe Rory should take a look at it..."

"No, its fine. I've had enough people muck with it already." Atheyr relaxed as the agitated nerves settled. He sat up, showing Amy that he was actually okay.

"Alright. Well then, you should make use of my couch and go to sleep." She helped him to lay down and she covered him with a blanket. "If you don't get proper rest you can't help with my chores tomorrow."

"But-"

"No excuses. Now go to sleep." She leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Good night Amelia."

"Raggedy man, good night."


	18. Epilogue

I hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I have and I hope you like the changes. We are at the end of all things now...well not all things...not always.

Because there will be a sequel entitled The Veiled Children. However, I have only just started the rewrite. I had to completely rework the plot and I had two chapters written but my computer decided to be stupid and not to save it. So that has pushed me back a little.

I know there are a lot of unanswered questions like; "What was the message? Who is Uxia? Where did Laryn and Reilly come from? etc, etc. Well hopefully these questions will be answered in the sequel...or perhaps in the third book, which I'm still working on the outline and plot for that one. But the point remains, Atheyr's story is far from over. And maybe sometime later I'll come back and do a little more grammar and punctuation editing.

* * *

Chapter 17 Epilogue

Atheyr awoke, barely refreshed. He managed to sleep without dreams, but from the tightness in his shoulder. He needed to work on that. He meant to be in a healing coma, but his hearts just would not cooperate. Or maybe it was his subconscious, a steady fear of them to keep himself only lightly under. It was early, just a little after five, his body may not have been up in top gear, but his time-sense was as clear as ever.

The sound of another person's breath in the room compelled his gaze up. A blurred figure stood by the doorway leading out of the living room. Maybe it was best that he wasn't in the deep sleep after all. He squinted at the dark silhouette at first, Atheyr thought it was Amelia. She had stood there for a long time the night before, watching him. Amy's fear that Atheyr would disappear didn't surprise him. The Doctor would never stay in one place forever. But Atheyr wasn't the Doctor and he didn't have the TARDIS and a vortex manipulator was a rubbish way to time travel, especially for companions. Atheyr knew his time in one place would be difficult, but it was time: time for him to stand still and face life in linear form. He would do what he wanted to do and maybe even learn about himself.

The figure by the door was not Amelia. The silhouette was considerably shorter, with short curly hair. Atheyr patiently waited for his eyes to focus and soon Atheyr could tell that the shape was that of a boy. He had a gruff expression on, Atheyr could tell he was nervous by the slight shake of his fists. Atheyr gingerly sat up, his shoulder protested at the movement, sending flashes of memory of how the wound came to be. Atheyr grimaced at the image of RoaneG, blood soaked. Atheyr shook his head, sending the image to the very back of his mind.

"Who are you?" The boy asked.

His words reminded Atheyr that there was an unknown child before him. Atheyr looked up at the boy who had taken an unsure step towards Atheyr's place on the couch. The dull glow of the dawn hidden behind clouds gave just enough light for Atheyr to see dark gray brown eyes look back. His brown curly hair rippled at his movement like a wind through a thousand paper thin springs. The boy was lanky and skinny, but his eyebrows were intense, filled with distrust. He wore a cardigan that went over a very neatly ironed and well kept dress shirt. His trousers were without a wrinkle, crease or stain.

"My name is Montmore, what's yours?"

He chewed on the inside of his mouth and didn't answer him instead he demanded, "What are you doing on my couch?"

"I didn't know this was your couch. I was just resting on it."

"It belongs to my Mum and Dad, it doesn't belong to you." He insisted. "How did you get in here? Dad always locks up. Are you moocher? You need to leave."

Atheyr's expression softened. "Your Mum and Dad...are they Rory and Amelia?" Atheyr smiled when the boy nodded and he continued, "They didn't tell me they had a son."

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"That is very true and very wise." Atheyr nodded. "But I'm not a stranger. Look at my clothes, I've borrowed them from your Dad. And your Mum set me up this nice bed couch...couch bed...couch for a bed. I'm a good friend of your Mum and Dad and they let me stay over."

"Why didn't they tell me?" The boy asked, still suspicious.

"I got in very late and they weren't expecting me...You were probably asleep. The real question is - why didn't they tell me about you?"

The boy thought about this while chewing on his inner cheek. Then with a shrug he answered, "I'm Anthony."

"Nice to meet you, Anthony." Atheyr held a hand out and Anthony took it. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I always get up early." Anthony told him. "I like to get up early and think. I always come down stairs and think on the couch. But you're in my way."

"I'm sorry about that. How 'bout I scoot over and you can come and think?" Atheyr made room for the boy. Anthony wiggled his lips, thinking about it. Then he nodded and came to sit. "What do you like to think about?"

"All sorts of things." Anthony replied. "I have a schedule that I follow. I made it myself." He said obviously proud of his achievement.

"That's good, how old are you?"

"I'm ten years old, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir, Montmore will suffice," Atheyr told him with a chuckle.

Anthony's brow scrunched, "What is 'suffice?'"

"That means 'good enough.'"

"Okay." Anthony put his head in his hands and leaned forward...thinking.

"Do you ever ... think about someone named River Song?" Atheyr asked.

"Sometimes."

Atheyr raised his eyebrows in surprise, but the boy was deep in thought, so he said, "I think about her a lot."

"She has two names. I like to think about that. She comes to visit often and she always brings me something. She loves Mum and Dad a lot. When she's here it feels like we're a family."

Atheyr was thoughtful, "So it is good when she visits?"

"Yeah."

"What are her names?"

"Sometimes she's River Song and sometimes she's Melody Malone. Mum helps her publish her stories, they're about monsters called Weeping Angels. Mum never ever trusts any of the statues, which is a little silly because monsters aren't real. When she's home and Mum is feeling really..." Anthony thought about it, trying to find the right word, "emotional she'll call her Melody. Do you know her?"

"I did a long time ago, before your Mum and Dad came here. I don't think I know her anymore though. And Weeping Angels are not something to make light of. I wouldn't trust the statues either."

"You are as strange as Mum is."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't though."

Atheyr shrugged with a smile, but didn't answer.

The sounds of footsteps moving above their heads had the two looking expectantly towards the stairs where the steps progressed to. Anthony gave a confused look. "That's not right, Mum isn't usually up for another hour."

"You have her figured?"

"She likes to sleep in." Anthony explained.

A bedraggled Amy came down the stairs, her eyes looked wild as if she'd just come out of a nightmare. She instantly connected with Atheyr's own gaze. A sleep deprived Rory followed in suit. They came right into the living room, Rory in his bathrobe and Amy in her nightgown. The adventure with the Star Whale flitted to the front of Atheyr's mind and he smiled.

"Good morning, Anthony." Amy said kindly to her son and Anthony jumped up to embrace her and he took hold of his father's hand.

"Mum, I found a moocher on our couch." He told her seriously and Amy smiled.

"His name is Montmore, he's an old friend of the family." Amy told him ruffling his tousled curls. "And he's going to be staying with us for a while."

"Really?" Anthony looked to Rory for confirmation. Rory gave it with a nod.

"Kind of like when River comes to visit?" Anthony asked.

"Kind of, except he'll be around more often and he can help out, with homework and stuff." Amy told him.

Anthony nodded his approval and Atheyr chuckled. Amy took a seat on the couch, one hand held Rory's and the other clasped tightly around Atheyr's hand. "I'm so glad you're still here." Amy told him.

"I'm not going anywhere," He told her with a smile. Rory pulled his boy over to the couch and held his hand.

Amy sighed a breath of content,"This is good. I've got my boys."

Rory smiled and Anthony grinned and Atheyr relaxed. Relief flooded him and he didn't worry about his hearts, his dreams or even about RoaneB and RoaneG. He didn't worry about the past or the future and he didn't worry about running away. He didn't think about the Doctor or about how he would probably never see his beloved blue box again. He thought about being alive. Being alive and being loved. Atheyr made it home and he had a family. He knew that with whatever happened now, everything would always be okay.


End file.
